Avengers High School
by Spades And Swords
Summary: Thor and Loki arrive to a new school, where they meet their new and rather peculiar classmates,friends and teachers. And of course, the school's the same time,a dangerous and forgotten family secret threatens to resurface.Will the Odinson brothers be able to deal with all these hardships? ClintxNatasha,ThorxJane,TonnyxPepper.
1. New Start

The younger of the two boys couldn't take away his nervous gaze of the lonely road even for a second, standing there, outside his new house and waiting for the yellow bus to arrive.

His green backpack was hanging on his thin shoulder, while his older brother stood by his side, chipping his nose and looking to the sky.

"Look brother , that cloud is foot-shaped! " Smiled the older boy, pointing his finding with childlike enthusiasm. "And that one looks like a cow! ". He went on and on , naming more figures that he alone was capable to find in the clouds, and even came to mention one that supposedly resembled a beautiful model from the catwalk "Do you see, little brother? Do you see? "

"I would be able to see them if they did not exist only inside your stupid imagination ,Thor", replied the younger lad , rolling his eyes and reluctantly putting up with the strong pat his big brother gave him on the shoulder " And how can you be so relaxed ? Behave, just for once! "

Thor was already seventeen years old, so why the hell should he act as if he was five?.

That was a question that Loki asked to himself every day, of every month, of every year, and he hadn't found an answer yet. And even if he had, Loki doubted that would make any difference on his big brother immature behaviour, who enjoyed watching cartoons at noon and falling asleep in class.

Meanwhile, Loki, with just fifteen years of age , was as responsible, serious and mature as a young adult.

How could two brothers be so different?

Maybe it was just a bad joke of genetics, concluded Loki sometimes, especially the times when he returned home and Thor would always welcome him by playfully tackling him to the ground, laughing and twisting his arm while asking Loki how his day had been.

"Aw, looks like someone woke up a little grumpy this morning... "Said Thor to his brother with a fake pout. He then grabbed Loki's head with one of his burly arms and started to ruff his black hair."Chill, Loki, do not bitter your day this early. Come on, smile and be happy, as they say in that chocolate chip cookies commercial! Mmm, now that I mention it, I think I still got a few inside my backpack..."

"Let me go now, you mindless caveman! " Growled Loki, trying to escape the grip of the arm of his brother, but his efforts were all in vain. It was like a rabbit trying to break free from the clutches of a huge grizzly bear.

Thor ,meanwhile, ignored the claims of his little brother and was very focused eating the chocolate biscuits, which had actually been kept in his backpack for about three or four weeks, at least.

"Do you want one, Loki? " Thor offered ,smiling and spitting crumbs in the face of his brother whenever he spoke "They are kind of stale, and have a bit of moss, but they taste great, yes sir! Much better than the food that is served in cafeterias ...or dad's cooking. "

"You're an idiot! " Replied Loki, starting to lose his patience.

When he finally managed to free himself from his brother, he wiped away the cookie's crumbles on his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He then passed a hand through his head and was enraged to discover that his hair was all disheveled. And if that wasn't enough , his older brother also had caused him to throw his backpack , and now all his pencils and notebooks were scattered on the floor " THOR! "

Loki glared at his brother with his sharp, green eyes, but Thor only laughed at his little brother's tantrum. A few seconds later, the bus finally arrived to pick them up.

"HURRY LOKI, THE LAST ONE IS A ROTTEN BEETLE! "Thor announced with enthusiasm, getting on the bus and pushing a kneeled Loki ,who was collecting and storing all of his school supplies back to his backpack, to a side .

Loki was stunned for a moment, then he stood up slowly, watching how Thor smiled at him from the bus' window as the rest of the students and even the bus' driver looked at him with mocking grins and low laughs.

He could not believe it... not even a minute had passed and Thor had already managed to embarrass him in front of everyone.

Wasn't the duty of younger siblings to embarrass older siblings, and not vice versa?

Loki sighed and got on the bus, and thanks to the bad luck which seemed to follow him that day, he found out that the only seat available in the whole bus was the one next to his older brother. That meant Loki would have to listen all the way to his new school to the talkative and incoherent conversations of Thor. All of them related to food, sports, girls in bikini and television programs.

It was just another normal day in the life of Loki, a lad as smart and cunning as squalid and weak , and his older brother Thor, a noble and kind hearted guy, restless as a puppy and with a brain with the size of a pea, but with the brute force of a Titan.

Just another pair of brothers in the world, complements of each other.

Probably, a little too complementary.

* * *

When the bus reached its destination, Thor was the first one to get off, running towards the school, taking Loki with him by grabbing Loki by collar of his shirt .

"Oh yeah, our first day in this new school, brother!" announced Thor happily, rising his arms . "Aren't you excited, Loki? . Loki? .Hey, Loki? ...Yoohoo, Loki... "

"I...cannot ...breath"

"Oops, sorry Loki, I forgot I was holding you "Thor apologized ,opening his hand and releasing his brother.

Loki fell to the floor on his back and began to pant, trying to catch his breath until he realized that the others were looking at him , with surprised expressions on their faces. Fleetingly, he stood up as if nothing had happened and cleared his throat his throat, feeling how his face was slightly flushed.

"Thor, we must put things clear from this instant" Loki indicated gravely "In this new school, everyone has a neutral opinion of us due our status as newcomers, and they are even unaware that we are brothers. And contrary to what happened in our previous school, this time I am unwilling to let them categorize me as the brother of a complete idiot , and make my life miserable for it. I've been locked inside lockers and have my head soaked and flushed in toilets enough times, believe me. So, you know what I mean by all this, Thor? "

Thor blinked a few times and scratched his head after hearing Loki. The lost stare in Thor's blue eyes almost led Loki to believe that his brother had not understood anything of what he had said... as usual.

But to the surprise of Loki, Thor suddenly turned very serious and placed a hand on his shoulder. He was acting strangely comprehensive, Loki could tell.

"Ah, I understand very well what you mean, little brother ... "declared Thor, looking very shocked and nodding slowly over and over again, for the astonishment of Loki. "You are asking me to protect you from bullies, but you also fear for my well-being, and therefore, you prefer to maintain our status of brothers as a secret to avoid me problems! Oh, brother, you are so considerate! Come, give me a hug! "

"No, moron, that's not what I ...! "

But Loki silenced when Thor hugged him so strongly that a bone in Loki's spine creaked.

"Don't worry, Loki, this time, I promise not to let any bully bother you for being so skinny, weak and small! No offense... "Continued Thor, so loudly he could be heard throughout the school "From now on, I will be the most protective older brother of the whole world, or at least the whole city! CITYWIDE! YES! -

"Shut up, you are making us look as maniacs!" Loki scolded Thor , covering the mouth of his brother with one hand .

_"Damn,"_ muttered Loki in his mind, _"Why was I not an only child?"_

* * *

_So...What do you think? Is it good?  
_

_Thanks for reading :)!  
_


	2. The Coolest and Greatest

_AN: Thanks a lot to anonymous and 8fangirl8 for commenting in the previous chapter . And also thanks to everyone that has added this story to their alert or favorite list, you are awesome :D! Hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_And 8fangirl8, don't worry. Bruce will appear very soon ^^  
_

* * *

At the school gates, near the duo of brothers, three young guys were watching them ,with a mixture of amusement and confusion on their faces.

"Great, just what this school needed: another fucking loony and a feeble " one of the guys remarked, as he smoked a cigarette with his back leaning against the wall. He had black hair and the shadow of a half shaved beard around his mouth. He wore sunglasses and a red shirt ,with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.

"I bet they won't last a day, Tony "collaborated another boy, this one with brown hair and sharp eyes, wearing a gray sweatshirt and pants that matched "Two days at most, and that if the poor bastards are lucky"

" A day or two? Come on, Clint, don't be like that "claimed the smoking boy, named Tony, tossing the cigarette into the trash can nearby, but his aim failed and the cigarette instead landed on the homework of another student that was sitting on the lawn. The paper set on fire almost immediately, but Tony didn't even notice this small mistake and went on talking "That pair of rookies will not last a single hour. They are fresh meat, walking directly to the slaughterhouse we call school, and Hulk, our beloved butcher, is surely ready to quarter them"

"Heh, it's been a while since the good old Hulk welcomed someone! If I remember correctly, you were the last unhappy moron to be so honored, eh, Steve? "

"I do not know why you love so much to remind me of that, Clint" repudiated the third boy, Steve, with short, blond hair and strong body type. He was wearing blue jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt "That was four years ago, get over it and change your joke already"

"Steve , my dear friend, know that even if a century passes, we will never forget that day" replied Tony this time , smiling boldly and slapping Steve on the back " I can still clearly see your face in pain as Hulk pulled up your underpants and left you dangling on the flagpole, while we all sang the school anthem"

"Ha, right, I had forgotten that part! "Clint added with a mocking smile, just to start laughing along with Tony . Steve folded his arms and idly waited for his friends to stop laughing at that old (and embarrassing) incident .

That could take a while...

"Yes, it was very funny ,indeed" Tony finally said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. He turned around to see Clint with a wry smile and added ": But then I remember how you were welcomed, Clint, how Hulk hung you by your ankles with a rope at the gym and then used you as a punching bag for hours, and I literally die laughter. Tell me, do you still keep some bruises or just the physiological trauma from that expierence? "

Clint's smile froze at that moment and vanished, being replaced with a frown and a reproach almost palpable in his eyes.

"I bet he keeps a little of both" Said Steve, kidding this time, taking this opportunity to avenge the taunts that Clint had thrown at him.

"Ha ha, very funny, childish idiots" blamed Clint while Tony and Steve were laughing in his face.

At that moment, the school's bell rang .The three friends would have gone on a spree if they had planned it earlier, but instead , they entered the school along the other students.

"There are so many people in this school that I sometimes feel like I'm in a market " Clint commented to Steve and Tony. They were pushing through an almost endless stream of people while searching for their assigned classroom.

"And have in mind this is a private school, my friend "said Tony "Because in public schools, you technically feel like you were in a city made up of nerds ,athletes and pretty girls in miniskirts"

Steve pondered that for a few seconds and added :

"But we are neither athletes nor brains, much less girls in miniskirts. So, what would we be in that place if we were there? "Asked Steve to Tony, out of naïve curiosity.

"We would be the same we are here, my sanctimonious pal... "said Tony at the same time he checked the list of names on the door of a classroom , to see if his name was there. He gave a triumphant applause when he saw that not only his name was there, but Clint's and Steve's as well. Tony put sunglasses on his eyes and answered to Steve with proud, conceited voice: "The coolest and greatest guys in the whole school!"

"Nationwide, you mean!. At least, I know I am " said Clint, smugly passing a hand through his hair.

"And you are humble, too ... "Steve joked, rolling his eyes.

Tony was going to joke about it, but a familiar female voice reached his ears , and his words stopped before they could leave his lips.

"Pf, please. You?. The coolest guys in school?. Damn boys, I see that the holidays really damaged your brains "

The three boys turned around to see the girl .

"And just when I thought it would be a perfect day, you have to turn up …." Tony sighed, gazing at the girl with indiscreet displeasure . Clint gave him a blow with his elbow before approaching the girl to give her a hug.

"And just when I thought that you had learned how to choose your friends a little more wisely, Clint ... "replied the girl coldly, watching Clint as if expecting a quick response and an explanation.

An excuse, in other words.

"Come on Natasha, you know that Tony is only joking when he acts as if he didn't like you. Right, Tony?" tried Clint, smiling nervously.

"Actually ...no,I'm not" said Tony indifferently, shrugging.

"Shut up, Tony" whispered Steve to Tony, not wanting another fight to began between Natasha, Tony and Clint, just like the many that had occurred last year . Steve found funny the fact that Natasha had more conflicts and discussions with Tony than she actually had with Clint, whereas the second was her boyfriend.

For Steve, those fights were not very nice ,as he never knew what to do or what to say, and feeling the pressure of having to side with someone certainly made him feel quite uncomfortable and awkward.

Therefore, Steve thought it was best for all of them to keep things at peace.

Too bad neither Natasha nor Tony seemed to share his point of view.

"You know what, Stark? I have decided that from now on, I won't let your stupid comments upset me, because unlike you, I've matured a little" casually declared Natasha.

"The keywords here are _-a little-_ " Tony replied "Although they could be exchanged for _–at all- _and it wouldn't be any difference"

Natasha buffed angrily, looking away.

"Whatever. Clint, let's go " said Natasha, holding Clint's hand and indicating the classroom with a nod.

"Of course, hun" Clint replied, starting to walk with the girl towards the classroom.

"Oh no, don't tell me I will have to watch your _"Kissing & flirting" _displays in class! " Tony shamelessly exclaimed, slapping his forehead and visibly upset that Natasha was in the same classroom with him and his friends "Come on, lovebirds, that's why the bathrooms and luchtime exist"

Clint glared at his friend and without Natasha realizing, he gave Tony the middle finger.

"I'll miss you too, my friend. Have fun with you chick" Tony dismissed him ,waving a hand and smiling widely.

"Hey, Tony, sometimes you're a ... how to say in a politely ... "Steve hesitated, one hand on his chin "... well, a complete idiot with Clint and Natasha"

"I know, "accepted Tony, looking very pleased, as if Steve would have spent a compliment " and I'm proud of that"

"Tony, you will never change ... "Steve sentenced with some disapproval, only to then enter the classroom with Tony.

Once inside, the time to choose their places came. Steve asked Tony which seats the should choose , to which Tony replied by saying it did not matter , as long it wasn't near the lovebirds Clint and Natasha

* * *

Loki had never liked crowds, preferring little and silent places, almost solitary.

Thor had always liked people, feeling comfortable in the company of others.

What did that mean?

That Loki was already hating this new school, while Thor was feeling completely comfortable in it, as if he had studied there for years , even when he had just arrived half an hour ago

"Wow, this school is great! Look Loki, they even have cafeteria! "Thor exclaimed, with amazed and sparkling eyes, as if he was about ride the biggest attraction in the amusement park.

"Every school has one, Thor " Indicated Loki, feeling how people passed ear him, giving nudges and even accidental trampling.

"Yeah, but this one has tables and chairs! " Thor explained.

"But the other cafeterias also had ... Look, stop acting like a fool and let's go to the classroom at once, before I get crushed under this stampede of people! "Loki urged desperately.

"Sure, as my little brother wishes! " Thor answered immediately. He grabbed Loki's right arm and then started to run through the middle of the crowded hall, forcing his way through while pushing everyone away so strongly he made them fell to the floor.

"Sorry, we are really sorry ! "Loki apologized to those whose his older brother had left scattered on the ground.

After being dragged like a sack of potatoes by his big brother throughout three halls and forty steps, Loki at last arrived to the classroom ,where his and Thor's names were written in the list attached to the door.

"Yep, this is our classroom. But what is this? There are already several people inside!. I guess in this school, students are really studious and applied... "Thor commented, peering inside the classroom through the door's glass.

"Or maybe, they arrived on time because they weren't foolishly amazed for more than twenty minutes by the drinkers and the cafeteria "observed Loki, a little too tired to properly chastise his brother.

"But those drinkers are something special, Loki!" Thor answered cheerfully "Those actually have clean water and not recycled water!"

"Or at least that's what you think, though I would not risk it ... " Loki replied, with some disgust. He brushed off the dust on his clothes the best he could and took a deep breath before continuing "All right. Now Thor, first we will enter the classroom, then we will apologize for being late. After that, the teacher will ask us to introduce ourselves in front of everyone. When that happens, what are you gonna say? "

"Ehh ... Wait,let me remember ... "Thor asked, trying to bring back to his memory the dialogue that Loki had told him to remember " Oh, I know. I will say that my name is Thor, but then I'll shut up to let you speak, and not matter what, I won't mention the tiny detail that we are brothers! "

"Exactly "praised Loki, relieved that his brother hadn't forgotten his plan "and if someone, though it hopefully won't happen, realizes of our fraternal bond ... "

"Then I'll say I am adopted! "completed Thor before Loki, just as proud as if he was answering a question in a national contest.

"I am surprised, Thor" Loki said with feigned admiration that Thor understood as real.

While Thor did not fully understand one hundred percent why Loki insisted so persistently in keeping secret their status as brothers, Thor was sure that Loki's only intention was to keep him safe from the bullies he would defend Loki of.

There was no doubt Loki was an amazing little brother, so Thor was determined to be the best big brother in return.

After a minute of silence, Loki was the one who opened the door of the classroom and the first one to get inside, with Thor following him.

Tony, Steve, Clint and Natasha unconsciously looked at them at the same time.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	3. This isn't your place

_Author's note: Wow,thanks a lot to everyone reading this fic! And special thanks to 8fangirl8,anonymous,JcoRulz123 and JakMarTheDarkWarrior for their reviews :)! It makes me happy to see you are enjoying this fic ,and I love to read your opinions about it. By the way, english is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any typos or gramatical mistakes I could have made. Maybe I should get a beta...__Well, enough of that. Here's chapter 3! Everyone, enjoy!  
_

* * *

The classroom was plunged into immediate silence at the presence of the two newcomers. The conversations abruptly stopped and all eyes fell upon Thor and Loki. It was an awkward moment, especially for Loki. The young boy decided to take the initiative to speak, given that the teacher looked just as overwhelmed as the rest of the students.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Loki Odinson" started the black-haired lad, with educated and audible voice, bowing his head slightly. He overheard some whispers and a few mild chuckles, but he ignored them and continued with his speech, trying not to appear nervous "First of all , I would like to apologize for ... "

"Hello! I am Thor, and I like food and soccer, nice to meet you! "

Loki felt a chill coming down his spine when he heard the loud and interrupting voice his brother. He slightly turned his neck and gave Thor the most murderous look he could express with his green eyes, but Thor didn't even notice the reproach of his brother. Thor just smiled cheerfully, as always , greeting everyone with a palm up. Then, without losing his cheerful countenance, Thor indiscreetly winked and gave thumbs up to Loki, to let him know that he could now proceed with his speech

"How kind of you "followed Loki, with undisguised sarcasm " Well, as I was saying, I apologize to everyone for our delay. I know that it is not an excuse, but I hope the fact that we are new in this school will make it easier for you to understand our delay"

From his classmates, the only response Loki received was more silence, where the sound of crickets could almost be heard. They all just stared at them, as if they were analyzing the two brothers. Loki wondered why on earth they looked at them like he and Thor were a pair of zoo monkeys. Maybe Thor was close to be one, but Loki definitely had a higher opinion of himself.

The teacher then cleared his throat and finally began to speak, breaking the silence, much to Loki's relief.

"Oh, so you are the Odinson brothers. It's a pleasure to meet you"

Goodbye relief.

The trembling words of the teacher, a shy looking man, were like a bucket of ice cold water for Loki. He gritted his teeth and his stomach sank, just as it would have done on a rollercoaster. His desire for a new and better start in that school collapsed just like the castle of cards he had made the previous evening, when Thor entered his room to ask Loki if he wanted to go to skate to the park with him.

That inept, idiotic teacher had already (and unknowingly) destroyed all hope Loki had of preventing the familiar relationship between him and Thor to remain as a secret for his new classmates .He couldn't believe it…

Though higly resenting the teacher, Loki also reprehended himself for not having foreseen and avoided that situation.

"Useless, clumsy and indiscreet teaching staff of these private schools ... "Loki hissed, closing his eyes and pressing the bridge of his nose.

"Hey Loki, now that everyone knows that we are brothers, can I talk or must I still remain silent? "Thor asked Loki in a whisper.

"As you wish. My reputation already went down the toilet ,anyway…." Loki replied absently, letting out a deep sigh.

"Ha, little brother, sometimes you say the funniest things! " Thor said, shrugging and laughing.

The teacher then stood infront of Loki and Thor, smiling politely.

"Relax boys; do not worry about the delay. We hadn't begun with the class yet", the teacher gently continued, oblivious to the conversation the brothers were having "We all know that being new in a school can be quite complicated. Oh, but where are my manners! I'm Dr. Coulson, your history teacher ... "

"Hey, if you are a doctor, what are you doing teaching at a school? Man, you should be in a hospital or something! "suddenly exclaimed Thor, with innocent imprudence "Or maybe you are here…because this is a medical school? .Hell, Loki, dad apparently wants us to become doctors! "

Without thinking twice, Loki trod his brother's foot in order to silence him, but by then, the effect was already done : his classmates had started to laugh.

Thor, a little confused, laughed with them. Loki, however ,remained silent and he slightly blushed, knowing that more than laughing with them, the others were laughing at them.

"Great, another genius ... " Steve sighed from his place at the same time Tony was dying of an hysterical laughter attack , pointing mockingly at Thor. At the other side of the classroom, Natasha shared the despair of Steve, and Clint just wanted to laugh like Tony did, but he managed to keep his composture, so as not to upset his girlfriend.

"Where the hell do these guys came from? "Asked Tony once he stopped laughing, his eyes filled with tears.

"Probably from a circus" ironically replied Steve.

"Wow, I sure would pay a lot of money to see that show. Although it seems I will not have to pay a single cent with these two freaks as my classamtes; this day is starting to get better... "

* * *

Professor Coulson raised an eyebrow and his jaw dropped a little .He did not know if Thor was being serious ... or if he was just making fun of him.

Neither of those two options will be very surprising.

He timidly asked his students to be quiet, but he had no results until a long time passed, at least fifteen minutes. When the teens finally calmed down, and before they started again with another scandal, the teacher quickly assigned the Odinson brothers the places in which they would sit for the rest of the term.

"Very well. Now, Thor... "Professor Coulson said dubiously ,with one hand on his chin as he thought of a good place where to sit the restless boy "… you'll sit there, right next to Steve and behind Tony . Rogers, Stark, raise your hand ,please, so your new classmate can see you! "

Steve obeyed his teacher without enthusiasm. Tony, however, raised his hand and greeted Thor with overacted elegance.

"Oh, hello! " Thor said, running towards his new place. He strongly threw his backpack to the floor, almost hitting Steve in the process, and his desk creaked a little when Thor abruptly sat down "Cool. This place is great, I bet the teachers won't notice when I fall asleep! "

"Of course... It's the best thing of being sitting in the first row: that is technically impossible for the teacher to see you, especially when they're less than three meters away from you '"said Tony sarcastically, turning around to see Thor, with his eyes still hidden behind his sunglasses.

_"This will be a long year ..."_ Steve thought, sighing again, not very happy about having Thor sitting right next to him. Surely Thor would be one of those unbearable and talkative classmates who didn't know when to shut up.

At that time, sitting near Natasha and Clint didn't sound like a bad idea at all….

"Actually, my friend, if you know how to put a few books right in front of you, and how to sleep without snoring, it really is impossible for teachers to see you. If you do not know how, I could teach you" Thor's answer surprised both Steve and Tony. That wasn't what they had expected to hear from someone who seemed to have more muscle than brains "And by the way , why are you wearing sunglasses if we are inside a classroom? It's like opening an umbrella inside a building or wearing a swimming suit in winter"

"What? Does it bother you, blondie? "Tony asked, with a bit of aggression.

"No" Thor agreed amicably "but I do find it very silly"

Tony didn't bother to hide his displeasure at such accusations, and Steve didn't bother to hide a smile. Perhaps, Steve thought, Thor was not really as unbearable and stupid as he seemed. Appearances and first impressions, he supposed, could be sometimes misleading.

* * *

Loki didn't wait for the teacher to give him an order, and he selected his seat by his own.

He chose a desk located in the upper left corner of the classroom. It seemed like rather quiet and lonely place , and not having anyone sitting behind him and the wall as the only companion to the left were already more points in its favor.

"But Loki, are you sure you do not want a place a little more close to the front? "Professor Coulson asked, as the boy walked to his chosen place. Some other students watched Loki as he passed next to them, with curiosity filling their eyes "That way, you would have a better view of the blackboard and ... "

"Thank you, Professor " Loki interrupted , with a wave of his hand and without stopping nor looking at Coulson "But had I wanted your advice, I would have asked for it. Also, I am very pleased with the desk I chose"

Loki sat down and gently placed his green backpack beside his seat. The teacher felt a little upset by the response he received from the youngest Odinson . Somehow, that subtle but insolent reply Loki gave Coulson sounded even more rude than the foolish and imprudent exclamations he had recieved from Thor.

Coulson decided to overlook these faults, mainly because it was the first day in that school for the two brothers, and also because Coulson had the bad habit of being an extremely tolerant and friendly teacher.

Or weak and foolish, as some teachers and students would describe him.

At the end of the last term, Coulson had proposed himself to be stricter this year, but apparently, it wasn't really working. Changing that aspect of his personality was resulting more difficult than he had expected.

"Okay, do as you want, Odinson" said the professor, returning to his desk. He grabbed a piece of chalk from one of the drawers and approached the blackboard, where he wrote down the date of that day. He suddenly stopped and turned around, again facing his students (some already asleep) "I almost forgot! Everyone , please welcome your new classmates! Come on, with enthusiasm! "

"Welcome, Loki and Thor…" said the students, with a boring and robotic colective voice. Coulson nodded with approval and continued writing on the blackboard. When he was in the middle of his writing, the chalk broke in half between his fingers, transforming into completely useless white powder.

"Damn, it was supposed to last me the whole week…" Professor Coulson complained under his breath " Could anyone please go to the staffroom and get me some more chalk? How about you, Stark? "

"Gee, I'm sorry, professor, but I'm afraid I'm allergic" Tony replied ,as he stretched.

"To what, chalk?"

"No, the staffroom"

Professor Coulson rolled his eyes, but to his surprise, Thor instantly volunteered. The blond lad ran to the classroom's door and opened it without waiting for Coulson's response .

"Don't worry, professor, I'll be back before you can say "_thunder"_! After all, I'm the fastest person in this school! Or at least, I was , in my other school. Right, Loki? "

"Yes, yes, whatever you say, Thor"

"You see? And my little brother never lies "reassured Thor, very proud of himself.

Professor Coulson decided to allow Thor to go for the chalk. The boy seemed to have much energy, so Coulson could at least make good use of it. He asked Steve to accompany Thor, so that Thor wouldn't get lost in his way to the staffroom

"It looks like it's you and me, partner! Together, we'll go on an epic journey for the chalk! "Exclaimed Thor, making an epic pose.

"So it seems. Let's go, then" Suggested Steve.

The two boys left the classroom, with Thor closing the door so hard that even the windows shook.

Coulson thought that maybe Thor wasn't such a bad lad after all, but he surely needed to learn how to control his strength and overwhelming enthusiasm, or else he could end up being very similar to ...

Well, it wasn't worth to bitter his day with such bad memories at that time of the morning, Coulson concluded, returning to his desk and sipping some refreshing coffee from his mug.

* * *

Just as Coulson had foreseen, Thor would have definitely gotten lost in the corridors of the school without Steve.

Now, they already had the chalk and they were returning to the classroom. However, they stopped for a moment , at the request of Thor, who had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom.

"Ugh, I think it's time to release the orange juice and the rotten chocolate cookies I had for breakfast this morning" Thor said before entering the bathroom "Wish me luck pal, 'cause answering this call of nature is going to be tough"

"I didn't have to know that " Steve said with disgusted voice "Hurry up , I'll wait here"

Steve leaned against the wall and started to play with the little packet of new chalk in his hands while he waited for Thor. He was about to look at his watch when he felt a vibration under their feet ,at the same time a familiar and frightening growl reached his ears. His heart skipped a beat and the packet of chalk almost slipped from his fingers.

" It's him ! " Steve muttered, his voice extremely horrified.

"Hey, Steve! I'm back, business conclu ... "

Steve rapidly covered Thor's mouth with one hand. Following his survival instinct, he threw himself alongside Thor back into the bathroom.

"Hey, what was that for? ! "Reclaimed Thor angrily, putting a hand on his head.

"Shsst! "Steve indicated, placing a finger on the middle of his lips. He then walked slowly towards the bathroom's door and he opened it enough to afford a some vision of the outside corridor.

"So…Are we spying on a girl or what? "

"Shsst. Thor, don't speak so loudly! "

"Okay, okay. But at least tell me what the hell is going on! "

"We are hiding… from him"

"Him?"

"The worst bully of the school, the most aggressive and angriest student that has ever walked in this institution from the moment it was inaugurated... I'm talking about the person that will give you a beating, and your brother too, simply because you are newcomers ... "Steve looked at a distraught Thor. Steve swallowed,and a final word that summed up all his terror left his trembling lips:

"Hulk".

* * *

Loki got used to his new place almost immediately. It was a quiet and isolated, just as he had foreseen.

Though he had to admit that it certainly did not have the best view out of the classroom , and that he could barley hear what the professor was saying... oh, and there were also lost of chewing gums stuck under the seat , and thousands of drawings that someone, perhaps the previous owner of the desk ,had painted on the banking. Loki couldn't help but to feel a pinch of curiosity for said drawings.

Most of them were humanoid figures horribly drawn , being no better than the work of a clumsy kindergartner.

In one of the drawings, one of the humanoid figures was hanging from the top of a trembling line , while other figures laughed at the first from below. There was one figure much bigger than the rest, and it appeared to be the one laughing the most.

In another drawing, the same big figure from before now distributed strong blows to what it appeared to be a poorly drawn sack of potatoes with X shaped eyes, hanging upside down from a rope .

Loki slowly blinked once he finishsed seeing the drawings, confused and not knowing what kind of student could _"draw"_ such incoherent and absurd things. He was even more surprised when he noticed some strongly carved letters in the middle of the desk, so deep that they had almost reached puncture. Such rough work was surely done with a sharp cutter or perhaps with the edge of a metal ruler. Loki read and quietly repeated those letters.

**_"HULK"_**

_Hulk_? What the hell was a _Hulk_?.Loki had never heard that word in his life,which genuinely surprsed him, considering he knew the whole dictionary of bad words thanks to Thor .

But he had never heard _"Hulk"_ .Maybe it was the name of a popular song, or the name of a school club, with members not particularly bright or educated, suppoused Loki.

He tried to find a meaning to that word for a few more minutes, but then he shrugged and decided he did not care about it that much.

It probably was something really stupid, anyways...

Furthermore, Loki really needed to start copying the writting on the blackboard before his brother and Steve returned with the chalk, to avoid falling behind. He took out a pen and a notebook from his backpack and started to work.

As he wrote, Loki could see with the corner of his eye how two of his classmates, a boy and a girl sitting near him , were looking at him while whispering with failed discretion. Loki was already used to such treatment, but he ended up losing patience when the girl stared at him , almost without blinking.

"Excuse me, but can I help you? Do I have something on my face? " Loki blurted, without sounding rude but definitely a little arrogant.

The other boy ,sitting next to the girl ,automaticlly and menacingly glared at Loki

_"Oh, a lovely couple. Bless my luck..."_ thought Loki bitterly .

" Is everything all right, Natasha? Because if this rookie is causing you troblue, I could teach him a lesson about how things work around here ... " assured the boy wearing the gray sweatshirt.

"No, Clint. There's not a single problem around here " answered the red-haired girl , putting a hand on Clint's shoulder. Loki felt a slight relief. At least that woman had been wise enough to calm down her brute boyfriend before he started a fight in the middle of class. The girl, who Loki now knew was named Natasha, returned quickly her attention to Loki and added with soft voice "But there will be a big problem if you stay in that desk, new guy"

"If that's a threat, you don't scare me. But if it is not, then I appreciate your concern " responded Loki " Now, if you do not mind, I'd like to continue with my writting"

"If I were you, new guy, that useless writting would be the least of my concerns. And I would seriuosly move to another desk this instant, while I still had a change" mysteriously insisted Natasha.

"Oh, really? How interesting" replied Loki, without paying much attention to what Natasha had said "But it turns out that I feel very comfortable here and I don't plan to go anywhere else anytime soon. Thanks for the suggestion,though"

"Come on, give it up, Natasha. Let this stupid rookie do as he fucking wants. It's his skin that is at stake, not ours" Clint demanded, softly putting a hand on the arm of his girlfriend.

"Hm, I suppose you're right,Clint" hopelessly accepted the girl . Before removing her gaze away from Loki, she added " Newcomers... seriously,they are pretty stubborn and brave, if not ignorant. Do not say I didn't try to warn you,new guy"

Loki stopped writing in that instant. If the Natasha had been trying to catch his attention , this time she had fully succeeded.

Without losing all his suspicions, Loki dared to ask:

"Warning me about what, exactly? "

"Oh, nothing worth telling,really" casually answered Natasha , polishing her nails. "You'll find out soon enough ,trust me"

"In fact, you'll find out right now, rookie" comented Clint, pointing to the classrom's door with a shaking finger.

Loki quickly turned his sight to where Clint was pointing. He could heard a babbling echo through the halls, and he felt how the ground trembled under his feet . His notebook on his desk moved at the same rate of the steps.

"Holy sh-" Professor withered, cold sweating. "Here he comes ...! Quick, everyone, you know what to do! "

"What's happening? Who's coming? " Loki asked, slightly altered, but no one paid attention to him. Everyone was very busy and nervous, hiding under their desks and covering them with their backpacks as if they were shields.

"Who's coming?" repeated Loki more loudly, feeling quite stressed and confused.

"The butcher has arrived" finally replied Tony , from the other side of the classroom. He was rather calm, compared to the others. He pursed his lips and said: "Oh, rookie, you should have started to run away even before you came to school"

"What are you talking about? Speak clearly! " Demanded Loki, with a mixture of anger and fear.

"You are going to be slaughtered, rookie " answered Tony as he hid under his seat "Did I speak clearly enough or not?"

" Slaughtered ...? " Repeated Loki, now extremly scared. One second passed before the door of the classroom opened with a mighty slam, with the knob almost breaking in the process. Loki terrrified reflexes reacted and he tried to hide under his desk just like all his classmates had done , but his legs failed him at the sole sight of the huge ,intimidating newcomer:

He was a pale-skinned teen, slightly greenish . His hair was a messy and greasy kills.

He was at least six feet tall, and his arms were as big as rocks. His clothes were torn and frayed, with traces of mud on the knees and some dirt on his forehead. He had a band-aid across his nose's bridge. The veins in his temples and neck stood up like strong tree roots , and his bulging eyes were bloodshot. He breathed like an angry bull, as hoarse as a motor. He exceeded Thor in muscle, Loki could notice , and unlike his brother, that guy didn't seem to be very friendly.

On the contrary, he looked like a silverback gorilla ready for a fight to the death.

"H-H-ul-k B-a-nn-ner. It's ..."stuttered Professor Coulson, his whole body shaking.

"YOU!" Hulk shouted, completely ignoring his teacher, with his red eyes resting on Loki.

"Fuck ... " Loki faintly hissed.

Hulk began to breathe more rapidly, and his eyes were so opened that Loki thought they would pop out their orbits. Hulk growled at Loki like a raging lion, showing his yellow and irregular teeth.

"YOU ARE IN HULK'S DESK " The big bully cried heavily, causing Loki to give a small jump of terror. Loki wanted to escape,but his body was paralyzed with fear. He could only watch how Hulk ran towards him, roaring and screaming like a savage " YOU ARE SITTING IN THE DESK OF HULK! HULK WILL CRUSH YOU, PUNY WORM! "

" Stop this instant, Banner, that's an order! " Professor Coulson exclaimeed in an attempt to stop the furious Hulk, in vain.

"And that, new guy, is exactly what I tried to warn you about" Natasha whispered to Loki from under her desk.

The green-eyed boy ordered her to shut up, but only in his mind, because his mouth could not utter a word thanks the horror that Hulk caused him, making Loki lose all his breath.

In an instant, Hulk was technically less than a foot away from Loki. Loki could even smell the mixture of sweat and grime the emaned from Hulk's body, and a drop of sweat came down his forehead. Never before he had felt so scared in his whole life. His heart was pounding so fast in his throat that he could barely breath.

In a blink of an eye, Hulk violently lifted Loki up from the collar of his shirt .Hulk lifted him until Loki's feet left the ground. Everyone let out a nervous gasp, and even Tony was alarmed from just thinking what would happen next... though he alredy had an idea of what would happen. A _bloody,crushing_ idea.

He took out his cell phone and turned on the camera application.

"Oh, this is so going to the internet..." he said, enfocating the view of the camera.

Meanwhile,Professor Coulson again ordered Hulk to stop, and this time he managed to sound stricter than ever. However, Hulk didnt' listen to Coulson's orders. All he could think about was how much he hated that stupid green-eyed weakling sitting in his desk.

HULK'S DESK!

" HULK SMASHES PUNY WORM, AND SO HULKS RECOVERS DESK! HULK BREAKS BONES! "

At the mercy of Hulk, Loki was only able to brace himself for the first blow.

He closed his eyes, and wished for that beating to come to an end as soon as possible.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcome ;)


	4. Stop,Hulk!

_Thanks a lot to everyone for reading,reviewing,alerting,favoriting this fic! I love you guys :3_

_I'll try to not dissapoint you, and if you have any idea,suggestion,critique,etc, feel free to let me know :D! For now...let the reading begins!_

* * *

He wasn't going to spend any other second there. With his hands , he pushed the bathroom's door and went out the hall ,with firm and deliberate steps that produced a low echo. He decided to make haste, since time was not on his side.

"Wait Thor, do not be a fool! You have no chance against Hulk" begged Steve with distraught voice, leaving the bathroom just as his companion had done.

Thor clearly heard the words of his friend, but they made no sense to him. At that time, all he could think about was his brother. Neither the risks nor the wise warnings of Steve could make him change his mind, even if they were accurate.

He was about to run off when Steve heavily put a hand on Thor's right shoulder, forcing him to stop. Thor felt how his anger was beginning to tempt his explosive temperament.

"Let go, Steve" Thor ordered, so roughly that he almost sounded furious "You are not the real target of my fists, and I don't want to hurt you. But if you try to stop me, you'll leave me no other choice"

"No, Thor. You can't do anything right now. If you go to the classroom, the only thing you'll gain is a brutal beating from Hulk " Steve replied without any hint of fear in his voice. Thor turned around in anger, and his angry gaze collided with the quiet face of Steve. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to not to hit his new friend, which was resulting especially difficult thanks to the image in his mind of Loki being brutally beaten by Hulk.

"Then what the hell Am I supposed to do ? Stay here with my arms folded like a bloody coward ,doing nothing, while my little brother is facing that crazy bully all by himself? "Thor asked, so furiuos that a vein in his neck stood out and throbbed.

Steve just stared at him.

"First, I ask you to calm down. And second, I suggest you to think before you act "Steve finally said, sternly.

Thor laughed bitterly, finding Steve's words incredibly ridiculous.

"Thinking won't help my brother or defeat Hulk" Thor sentenced.

"And acting like a mindless animal ,armed only with brute force ,wont' help your brother either" replied Steve. Seeing that his words had made Thor reconsider, Steve quickly went on with his attempts to convince his friend to act with intelligence. "I have studied in this school for a long time, and I have never seen Hulk being defeated by no one, not even by the most brawny or even by the members of the football team. But if I have learned something from witnessing so many of these fights, is that in these clashes, strategies or any kind of plans of attack were totally absent. And so ,they were always destined to fail"

Steve stopped and took a deep breath, and the he continued:

"In short, if you want to defeat Hulk, you must have a strategy"

Thor stayed serious and thoughtful. Shortly, he bravely smiled and nodded with approval.

Steve was amazed of his own success in having convinced someone as stubborn and headstrong as Thor .Honestly, he hadn't expected that outcome, not even in a million years.

"You're right Steve "Thor said, holding Steve's hand, still resting on his shoulder "and I think I have a plan"

"You do? " Steve hopefully asked . Finally, he thought, someone would give that huge, pale skinned idiot named Hulk a lesson "Fantastic, Thor! What is it? "

"Well, my plan is ... –"Gently began Thor . After those words, Steve felt a fleeting pain as Thor clutched his hand tightly, to the point of almost crushing Steve's fingers.

Steve didn't have time to scream because Thor instantly gave him a tremendous smack on his head. Steve felt no pain, but he did feel a terrible numbness that made his vision dimly and shaky, while his thoughts were completely disheveled, as if the smack that Thor had given him had caused a tremor in his brain.

He was so confused he didn't even notice how Thor lifted him by his hips and roughly deposited him in a trash can nearby. When he managed to come back to his senses (though not totally), Steve attempted to free himself, but his body was so firmly stuck in the smelly trash can that he could barely move his arms

Thor meanwhile was looking emotionlessly at Steve. The two glared at each other until Thor turned his back on Steve.

" ... My plan is for you to shut your mouth and stop wasting my time with your senseless babbling, Steve; my little brother is in trouble and he needs my help. I'm sorry , mate, I hope that hit I gave wont' leave you bruise "

"You're ... an ... idiot ... "Steve muttered feebly, beginning to feel a dull pain where Thoyr had hit him.

Now ,he had no doubt that Thor's punches were as strong as the kick of a horse.

Thor gave a small laugh at the comment of his friend and then he ran off .Steve's eyes followed Thor until he turned into a corner and was out of sight.

"You moron…"hissed Steve, beginning to feel not as dazed as he continued with his attempts to escape the trash can "That's not the way to the classroom... "

* * *

For a moment, Loki was seized with horrible anxiety.

All he could do was wait to receive the massive knuckles of Hulk on his face. Loki had tried to free himself, but his hands did not do any damage to Hulk's arms, covered with skin so thick that it almost felt like leather.

The others just watched, some stunned and some eager.

"SMASH WORM! " Hulk roared wildly, so strong that Loki felt how his eardrums throbbed painfully. With great effort, Loki managed to move one of his legs and kick Hulk's abdomen, but this was again a futile attempt. And what was worse, Loki now had his foot in pain, as if he had kicked a concrete wall.

"Damn ... "Loki muttered weakly, cursing his little physical power. For a split second, the question of where the hell was Thor came to his mind, causing Loki to unintentionally seek for his older brother around the classroom with his eyes,but he quickly stopped.

Even when not desired, Loki was still seeking for the support of his big brother.

He hated that,but he couldn't help it.

It was like a little brother's instinct.

" AARG! "

Loki then felt how Hulk savagely discharged his fist against his right cheek. At first it was just an unpleasant pressure, then it immediately transformed into a dry pain, accompanied by a great sense of burning that extended to his whole face. Loki tasted the weak metallic flavor of blood in his mouth, but he was glad he didn't hear any crack of a broken tooth. To own astonishment of Loki and the other students, the green-eyed boy managed to stay conscious and relatively well, even after the tremendous punch…not counting the red and swollen spot that had covered his entire cheek, of course.

" Wow, that must have hurt like hell! " Tony exclaimed, hissing mockingly as he continued filming.

Meanwhile, the other students closed one eye and turned their sights away, as if they had felt the pain of the blow in their own flesh.

"Hulk Banner, stop it right now! "Professor Coulson shouted. Neither Hulk nor Loki had seen him as he approached them, and now the teacher was strongly grabbing Hulk's arm, trying with all his strength to prevent any other blow. Hulk turned to see his teacher, with furious and strangely confused eyes, almost achieving an innocent appearance, like a child who has just been unjustly scolded.

"BUT PUNY WORM STOLE HULK'S SEAT! "Hulk answered hoarsely, clenching Loki with his arm "NOT FAIR! HULK HAS NEVER STOLEN SOMEONE'S SEAT! "

"It's just a misunderstanding, Hulk" Professor Coulson continued, with comprehensive voice "Stop and let's try to clarify this in peace, without resorting to violence! "

Hulk doubted, but his anger was seemingly starting to decrease. Clint and Natasha could not believe what they were seeing: the big bully was actually listening to the orders of a teacher. And that certain teacher being Coulson made the whole thing even more incredible.

"What's going here? Hulk has never stopped in the middle of a beating "Clint questioned in disbelief, watching everything from under his desk.

"'This is really weird, but ... "Natasha stared ,as Clint watched her with curiosity "... well, it's really just a rumor, but I listened how Peter Parker and Johnny Storm were talking about how at the end of the last term, before summer vacations started, principal Fury talked with Hulk's parents, apparently concluding that if Hulk didn't take a course or some sort of therapy to learn how control his rage, he wouldn't be able to return to this school ever again"

Clint lifted an eyebrow, puzzled.

"So you're saying that our biggest bully took classes to learn to control his childish tantrums…and that it might actually have worked? "He asked.

"In short, yes" Natasha responded.

"Wow... "

The two continued thinking how strange that while thing was, but the apparent tranquility also made them believe that all the fuss was over, and hopefully, the future beatings and attacks from Hulk against them and his classmates were gone for good as well...

And maybe they would have been, but ...

"Hey, c'mon Hulk, do not give me these _"pacific methods" _now! Or the video will turn out more boring than a cheap black and white film! "

Tony's scream filled the entire room. Everyone looked at him, even Hulk and Coulson

The tranquility of the first one disappeared in that moment, giving way to his blind fury again.

"Stark!" Professor Coulson exclaimed, his eyes full of reproach. Natasha looked at Tony in the same way, while Clint just shook his head.

"Oops" withered Tony ,as the eyes of the teacher and all of his classmates rested upon him . "Maybe …I shouldn't have said that. Outside my mind, I mean"

"You ... I hate you ... "Loki said angrily, with fading voice.

A few seconds later, another terrible blow form Hulk' fell on Loki's face.

Or it would have had, if someone hadn't unexpectedly entered into the classroom , with a firm determination to put an end to this mess once and for all.

* * *

It could not be, it was impossible! Ok,ok ,let's not panic!

It was simple, and with some logic, he could easily resolve this problem.

Thor observed his surroundings, and concluded that:

Firstly, the place where he was definitely wasn't the classroom.

Secondly, that place was as boring as hell! With a lot of strange posters with the word _"SILENCE!"_ written on them, glued on every wall.

Thirdly, so many books around him were starting to give him a headache.

And last but not least... he was feeling hungry again.

"Man, I really can't wait for lunch! "Thor said, thinking about food.

"Be silent, young man. Can't you read? "A shrill voice exclaimed.

"Of course I can…a little… just the basics, to be honest. Because I can read all the comics book I want without any problems, but those long books called novels are a bit difficult for me. Especially because they don't have any drawings…"

"Shhh. Silence, boy. You are in the school's library, and here we only accept the sound of a working mind!"

Thor curiously wondered how a working mind sounded. He was about to ask that to the curmudgeon . old librarian lady , but just in that instant ,Loki, Hulk and everything else came back to his mind, immediately taking the priority of his thoughts.

"So I'm in the library. Just I had suspected! "Thor exclaimed, snapping his fingers. The old librarian again ordered him to keep quiet, but Thor approached her rapidly and began to ask her for directions of how he could return to his classroom "Please help me, old hag! This school is like a RPG maze and I cannot find my way back. And I'm here, acting like a fool while my little brother and Hulk ,and they…,_!PAW, PUNCH, SMACK! ,_ as they say in comics_. _And Steve is still in the trash can ... and ... and ...that's why I have to hurry! "

" I already told you to shut up, annoying brat!" Shouted the now angry librarian. Thor stared at her, but then he smiled and asked if that meant she was going to help him. "If that means you'll go away ,then yes, I will gladly help you out. Which number is your classroom? -

"That's' easy. It's the 201... I think"

"201? But that classroom is just around the left corridor! "

"Are you serious?" Thor asked, childishly amazed "That means I wasn't so lost after all! Thanks for the help, old hag. I will repay you someday, if I don't forget first, of course!"

"You can repay me by getting out of my sight this instant! And in silence, please! "The librarian replied.

"Sounds fair "Thor agreed, speaking lowly at last. He gave the librarian one last smile before he ran towards the exit of the library ,while mumbling something about someone named Loki.

Never before had the old librarian felt so happy to see a student leaving the library.

* * *

Clint and Natasha, along with his classmates, stood up so quickly from under their desks that it almost seemed comical. Tony swore under his breath and quietly put his cell phone back in his pocket, with a fake and unchanging smile in his lips to feign innocence. Coulson gasped and felt an ice -cold chill going down his spine. It was weird ,because at the same time, he also felt a strong sense of relief.

Even Hulk held back his anger by just looking at the man standing at the classroom's door.

Loki also could see him, but not very clearly, since the blow Hulk had given him had also caused his right eye to swell a little. Even with his damaged and purple eye, Loki could sense the imposing and stern vibes that emanated from that man.

"Hey, chief! Do not worry, nothing is going on here, we were just staging a street fight with the new guy for our next theater's play. And even Hulk is helping us out. Isn't that incredibly or what?" Added Tony naturally, giving the director the best of his smiles. Natasha covered her face with a hand, upset by the (usual) lack of seriousness from Stark.

The director, however, remained serious, making Tony to stop smiling .

Tony looked away slowly, mumbling something and feeling awkward.

"Save your ridiculous jokes for your friends, Mr. Stark" strictly ordered the principal. Tony lifted up his palms and closed his lips as if he had and invisibly zipper between them.

"Principal Fury ... "Coulson muttered. Fury then stopped him from saying another word in the same way he had done with Tony: with a sole glance of his only eye.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	5. Wait,Thor!

_AN: Again,thanks to everyone reading this fic! And also thanks for the reviews and compliments ^^. And to NSthorlover, dont worry,Jane will appaear soon, in two or three chapters from this one ;), and Pergjithshme , you are rigth, Coulson is kind OOC, but he has reasons to be like this, you'll discover why as the story progresses ;)._

* * *

"Don't even bother to explain, Coulson, I've seen enough already "said director Fury flatly. At the same time, a small and thin lad appeared behind him . He had black, short and curly hair; he also wore glasses, and had an overall trembling and nervous appearance.

"Hulk, brother, stop this instant! " Squealed the young boy , trying to approach Hulk, but the principal blocked his way with one arm.

"Let me handle this, Bruce "ordered Fury "You can discuss with your older brother later"

Bruce was clearly dissatisfied with that order, but he obeyed to the principal without any complaints. He looked up and his eyes met with Loki's for a few seconds before Bruce looked at the floor, visibly embarrassed. Simultaneously, Loki coughed loudly, spitting a few tiny drops of blood that stained his chin. Apparently, that huge brute had caused Loki a wound inside his mouth.

"Hulk Banner! " Cried Principal Fury at that moment, causing professor Coulson and all of the students to flinch. –"Put him down. NOW! "

Hulk growled back in response, managing to hold his anger back with almost inhuman effort. Slowly, his hand with which he grabbed Loki's neck gradually started to decrease its strength, until it finally let go of him. Loki fell to the floor on his back, striking his elbow with his desk seat. He coughed a few times more, wiping with the sleeve of his shirt the dried blood on his chin.

"Looks like you'll need to find a new place where to sit, rookie "jokingly chided Natasha, approaching Loki to help him stand up by grabbing one of his arms , but the boy quickly broke away from her grasp.

"Looks like I don't need your help "replied Loki, trying to keep the little but existing pride he had left. Natasha's expression changed from one of indifference to one of great displeasure. Feeling upset and insulted, she returned with Clint, who wasn't precisely happy with the way that Loki had treated his girlfriend.

Loki would say he felt bad about it, but he would be lying.

In any case, he had more important things to worry about, one of them being Hulk. Loki walked away from the big bully with fast but discrete steps. He tried to be very careful, because he knew Hulk would start hitting him again at the slightest provocation.

At the same time, Fury approached Loki and Hulk, with his hands behind his back. Students respectfully stepped aside from his way. Once the principal was in front of him, Loki (for a small moment) felt as if he was in the presence of Odin, his father.

"Hulk, come with me, I'll take you to your corresponding classroom. It seems you've confused your name on the list for your brother's. "Fury ordered, with a deep voice that only made more emphasis on the fault that the aggressive boy had committed. "And while we get there, we'll talk about the consequences this little fight will have on your permanent record, don't worry about that"

Hulk remained silent, clenching his fists tightly. He gave Loki one last murderous look before leaving the classroom with Principal Fury. Hulk strongly pushed Bruce aside when he passed next to him, causing the weaker boy to lose his balance and fell to the floor.

"And Coulson, I'd like to talk to you .Privately "Fury remarked, before leaving the classroom completely.

Professor Coulson did not answer, making Loki think that the professor was probably feeling very ashamed for what had happened.

And damn right he should be ashamed, Loki thought disdainfully. Because maybe if that inept teacher wasn't such an useless weakling, he could have stopped Hulk before he had hurt Loki.

Yes, Coulson certainly had many reasons to feel ashamed of, conclude Loki cynically, ignoring the teacher's apologies.

"Instead of apologizing, you should act like a competent teacher and do as the principal had told you to, don't you think, Professor? " Loki spat without any courtesy.

"I ... " Coulson replied, noticeable disgruntled. He bit his lower lip, unsure of what to say. ": ... You are Right, young Odinson. I know you are mad at me, and I don't blame you, but you should accept my apologies .And try to be more polite, okay? Now class, I will be gone for a while. Accommodate your desks before any more problems occur. And someone help Bruce, please"

"I have it solved, Coul" Tony said as he helped Bruce to stand up. Contrary to how Loki had reacted, Bruce honestly thanked his classmate for his help.

"Don't sweat it, Banner. It's the least I can do for the poor fool who has that gigantic gorilla as a brother. Sucks to be you, Brucie, sucks to be you... "Tony mocked, giving Bruce a pat on his back before returning to his place.

Coulson then proceeded to accompany the principal and Hulk outised the classroom.

Meanwhile, Loki put a hand on his damaged cheek. It was swollen and it had turned purple.

"Great , another bruise for my collection…"He thought, perfectly visualizing how his parents would react when they saw him in that state:

His father ,lecturing and scolding him without hearing to any of Loki's explanations; his mother ,comforting Loki while tenderly tending to his wound ,as if he was still a toddler; and Thor ...

"Thor... "Loki said softly, remembering his brother. Thor l hadn't returned to the classroom yet , and Steve was also absent.

Loki sighed and shook his head, disapprovingly.

"How far can the staff room be? Seriously, Thor, you cannot be trusted even with the simplest of tasks... " Loki complained.

"Excuse me ... "

Loki thoughts were interrupted by the timid voice of Bruce. Loki rolled his eyes, without any craving of dealing with Hulk's little brother in that moment. He already had had enough from the Banners for one day.

'"Hello, my name is Bruce" continued Bruce, either ignoring or not noticing Loki's displeasure.

"No, really? Well, nice meeting you, Bruce. Now, farewell, because as you can see, I'm not in top condition to talk" Loki sharply answered, hoping to put an end to the conversation. The wound on his cheek hurt him every time he spoke, not precisely improving Loki's mood.

Bruce hesitated after this rough answer, but he continued to talk, to Loki's annoyance.

"Hey, wait. Loki, right? .I just ….wanted to apologize to you ,on behalf of my brother. He is always angry ,and he never listens, and I know it may sounds very unlikely, but I assure you that his intention was never to hurt you. It's just … that he can't control his own strength"

That was the most ridiculous thing Loki had heard in a while. He also didn't understand why Bruce was apologizing to him ,whereas the whole havoc had been Hulk's fault, not Bruce's. From Loki's point of view, that was rather stupid and unnecessary.

However, Loki accepted the apology, provided that Bruce would leave him alone afterwards. Besides, Loki knew how it was to have an impulsive fool as a brother.

"Perfect" Bruce agreed sheepishly, extending a hand to Loki.

"So now we shake hands? Such formality... "Loki said sarcastically. Then, a little calmer, he continued "But ... I guess it can't do any harm"

And so, both young men shook hands, as a sign of peace.

Bruce smiled, and was about to say something, but a extremely loud voice interrupted him. He and Loki looked at the voice's owner at the same time

" NO, LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE , YOU BULLY"

"What ...? "Bruce mumbled, very confused.

What happened next was that Thor, who had just arrived to the classroom, quickly tackled Bruce. Once on the ground, he began to beat him while shouting _"It's ok, Loki, I'll take care of Hulk!"  
_  
"No! Thor, stop! He isn't Hulk!" Loki worriedly insisted, again and again, but his big brother wasn't listening, as he was too busy beating a confused (and scared) Bruce. "Stop, you cursed idiot!"

" Do not worry Loki, everything will be fine! "Thor replied ,with reassuring voice.

Meanwhile, Natasha attempted to stop the fight, with the help of Clint.

They tried to separate the two boys, but it was impossible. The other students , without a teacher to scold them or Hulk to intimidate them, quickly formed a circle around Thor and Bruce ,while shouting "_Fight, fight!"_

"Aw yeah, let me film this! Gee, I hope my phone still has enough battery" Tony said, approaching the scene of the beating as fast as possible, with the phone already on his hand. Natasha growled at him, but Tony rapidly raised a palm, telling her to talk with his hand .

"This cannot get worse! " Loki exhaled, extremely concerned by just seeing the chaos that his big brother was causing.

Thing really couldn't get any worse!

…Could they?

"Well students, I have already spoken to your teacher ,and I'm sure ... "

Principal Fury was dumbfounded for a moment as he watched the scandal that had resurfaced after just ten minutes of his absence. Coulson put a hand on his forehead, not understanding how his students could be so immature.

"Uh-oh ... –"withered Loki, knowing what would follow next.

Fury furiously approached the fighting boys (though Bruce wasn't really putting much of a fight) and separated them with no effort. He then grabbed Thor by his shirt, while Bruce was immediately sent to the infirmary.

"You are in serious trouble, young man! " Said Fury, while Thor desperately tried to release himself from the principal's grasp.

" But I haven't done anything wrong! Come on, pirate, and don't try to stop my fight! – "Thor said, struggling so much that Fury almost had to drag him out of the classroom.

Loki was only able to observe how his brother was taken away, and the mere thought of Thor getting expelled made him shiver. He was more upset than Tony, who had just realized that his phone didn't have enough memory to save the video of the fight.

It was just their first day at that school, and the Odinson brothers had already caused some serious trouble….

Why wasn't Loki surprised?

Then, Steve finally arrived to the classroom, with a banana peel on his head and flies following him as if he was covered with honey.

"Damn. I'm too late…"Steve sighed, as if he had failed in a very important mission.

"Yes you are, Steve" confirmed Tony ,taking his seat as he lit up a cigarette "You missed all the show"

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	6. Cocky

_Disclaimer : All the characters belong to Marvel_

* * *

When class ended, if you can even call _class_ to the _"ten remaining minutes of just hearing his classmate's comments about the beatings",_ Loki immediately went to the principal's office. He didn't exactly run, but his steps were fast enough to avoid the prying eyes of the others.

He ignored the derisive comments that Stark threw at him, since Loki had learned that they only caused him trouble. And he had a large bruise on his cheeks as a reminder.

Clint tried to make Loki trip by putting a foot in front of Loki as he walked through the classroom's exit, as a form of revenge for the way Loki had acted towards Natasha. But the one who ended up falling to the floor was a distracted (and a bit giddy) Steve.

Just as Loki has intended, since he had immediately noticed Clint's intentions.

Loki just had to give a slight shove to Steve …and problem solved!

It had been a good try, Loki gave Clint that, but it would take a lot more for Loki to fall into such an obvious trap.

The school's corridors were again full of chattering students. Loki was pleased to see that the news of his "fight" against Hulk hadn't spread yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

For now, Loki was determinate to enjoy his remaining minutes of anonymity.

Finding Principal Fury's office was more difficult than Loki had expected, especially thanks to Loki's reluctance to ask for directions. More than a matter of pride, it was a matter of speech, because Loki could barely speak correctly thanks to his swollen and bruised cheek.

Thor would definitely say that Loki sounded like a duck with a hangover. And Loki would reply that….indeed, he sounded like that.

Eventually, Loki managed to find the principal's office. It turned out to be located on the top floor of the campus, as was common in private schools. Loki had to climb so many stairs that they seemed everlasting.

When the stairs finally came to an end, Loki's forehead was beaded with sweat, and his wound was beating at the same rate as his heart .Though it still hurt a lot , the overall discomfort it caused had somewhat decreased.

That was a profit, but there was no way his parents wouldn't notice their son's purple cheek.

_"Father, this is not a bruise, it's just a big beauty spot I've had since I was born. Hadn't you ever noticed?"_

Ha-ha...

Yeah, Odin wouldn't find it funny either, Loki concluded, sighing at his absurd occurrence.

* * *

The door of the principal's office was large and robust, made of thick but finely carved wood. It emanated a weak smell of elm, mixed with the essence of fresh lacquer. It had a glass in the middle, adorned with large black letters:

**"PRINCIPAL NICK FURY"**

Loki approached the door, placing a hand on the written name of Fury. He turned his head and leaned his ear against the cold glass, concentrating as much as possible. He could diffusely hear the deep voice of Fury, but whatever the principal was saying, it was completely unintelligible to Loki.

But then, Loki felt how his heart skipped a beat when he heard the voice of his brother.

The distant and angry voice of Thor.

Apparently, Thor and Fury were arguing. Or in other words, Thor was being stupid enough to quarrel with the principal of his new school.

Loki leaned apart from the door at that moment, and swore softly under his breath.

It was bad enough that Thor was already in the principal's office for hitting one of his classmates at his first day of school, and the situation wouldn't improve with him shouting furiously at Fury.

On the contrary, it would only make it worse.

"Relax, Fury has not expelled anyone in years"

Loki immediately turned his sight towards the owner of that indifferent voice. He hadn't noticed the presence of that boy or that of the chairs outside the principal's office, where the boy was sitting.

Loki thought of that design as a vile parody of a waiting room.

"I startled you, but your nervousness was getting on my nerves" went on the other lad, while Loki coldly looked at him. "And don't even try to hear what's happening inside the office, it is useless. Fury specially selected that soundproof wood. Isn't he a cunning old bastard? "

Loki silently looked at the other boy before giving any response. He had thick and short black hair and green eyes, a little clearer than Loki's. By just looking at his clothes, Loki could tell that the boy enjoyed of a high economic status. He also had a vertical scar next to his right eye, breaking the harmony of his smooth skin.

_"A cocky" _Loki determined as a final verdict.

Still, Loki continued the conversation the other one had begun, for both education and to kill time.

"I wouldn't call him cunning._ Paranoid_ is a far more suitable description " Loki said, trying to not let his wound to distort his voice a lot. It was difficult, but he managed to sound almost normal.

"Ha, good one. In fact, it sounds quite well .Fury, the most paranoid bastard of this doomed world!" C_ocky _said, adorning his words with elegant movements of his arms.

"And also the most one-eyed" added Loki, unable to withstand the mockery, despite the cruelty it denoted.

Both he and _Cocky _laughed without any remorse, and perhaps their modest laughter would have turned into loud shrieks laughter if the swollen cheek of Loki hadn't forced him to stop, with a sharp pang of pain.

Loki put his hand on his wound, hissing and closing one eye.

"I see that you have already met Hulk"_ Cocky _said, crossing his arms and legs, placing his back against the backrest of the chair. "You shouldn't complain. From what I see, it was only a simple punch"

"Yes, a simply punch that almost broke my jaw" Loki replied, indignantly.

"That's exactly what I meant, _**almost. **_Others have not had such luck. "Continued _Cocky_ with mysterious voice, running a finger over the scar on his face.

Loki snorted; not really feeling that he'd had the luck _Cocky_ attributed him. Feeling tired, Loki decided to sit in a chair, leaving a free space between _Cocky _and him.

Both of them remained silent.

Though Loki thought that _Cocky _was a little bit nicer than the rest of his classmates he had met so far, he wasn't able to keep a proper conversation with him, due to the pain caused by his wound.

As if reading his thoughts, _Cocky_ started to look for something in his backpack. After a few moments, _Cocky _extended his hand to Loki, holding a plastic bottle filled with a strange blue cream.

Loki raised an eyebrow and looked at _Cocky_, confused.

"Take it. It is a special ointment I made for a project in Biology class last month" proudly conceited _Cocky_, shrugging "Although I admit that my biggest inspiration was to find a way to avoid the three-weeks-long pain that Hulk's beatings caused me. I am pleased to say it was a success, and I have even considered promoting it around the school. It would be a rather successful business, I have no doubt"

"Yes, nice speech. But how do I know that it isn't really a cream dusty with itchy powder? Or perhaps a skin irritant cream that will give me allergies? "Loki inquired, distrustful of his classmate "I may be new around here, but I'm not stupid enough to allow myself to be hazed twice in a row at the same day. So you can keep your ointment and... "

"You're not stupid enough, you say? " Interrupted _Cocky_, with a mocking smile on his lips "Sure, maybe you are not, my friend. But that brother of yours really is. Ah, because... He is your brother, isn't he? That idiotic, blonde moron with whom Fury is talking to at this moment. Yes, by the expression on your face, I can see I'm right. "

Loki was left speechless; amazed at all the things_ Cocky_ had managed to figure out about him, even though Loki hadn't even told him his name.

He frowned, getting a little defensive.

While he didn't dislike _Cocky_ a lot, Loki didn't like the mocking voice _Cocky_ had used against him. Also, Loki felt quite irritated by the unnecessary insults with which Cocky had described Thor.

"Whether or not that fool is my brother, it's nothing of your concern" Loki said sternly. _Cocky _hesitated, and the smile from his lips slowly dissolved –"And secondly, _my friend_, don't you dare to call him idiotic. His name is Thor, and you judging him without even knowing him makes me cranky. I had expected you'd be a little more intelligent than this, but now I see I was wrong..."

"So his name is Thor…" said_ Cocky_, as calm as if he hadn't noticed how angry Loki was "- I see ... so you must be Loki. Thor and Loki, the Odinson brothers, the newcomers."

Loki kept silent again, amazed at all the information Cocky had discovered about him. Thinking about it, Loki realized that many of this information had been revealed by himself: his anger towards Thor being insulted made painfully clear that he was indeed his brother. Not only that, but Loki had also revealed his brother's name.

_"How disdainfully stupid from me ..." _Loki berated himself.

That made sense, but what Loki didn't quite understand was how Cocky knew his name and surname. It wasn't exactly a state secret, of course, but not every day one meets a stranger who knows your name before you even mention it.

Soon after, _Cocky_ broke the tension with a strangely friendly laugh which Loki didn't return.

He wasn't going to so easily trust someone as nosy and observer as _Cocky _was proving to be; let alone if Loki had just met him ten minutes ago.

His intuition, as always suspicious, whispered Loki that it was best to be careful.

"Relax, my friend. No need to give me that murderous glare. I know I acted like an idiot, but it is impossible to resist playing a joke on a newcomer "_Cocky_ said, giving a gentle pat on Loki's shoulder "-Please, don't think I'm a nosy person. I only know your name because I heard it from your brother, when he wouldn't stop shouting it as Fury struggled to make him enter into his office. _'I must go back and help Loki, my brother!'_ He would say, and the principal angrily told him _'Stop this tantrum , it will complicate things further for you, Mr. Odinson!'_. Their shouts almost made me deaf, and for a moment , I thought your brother was going to beat the hell out of Fury... "

"I never said he was my brother " Loki suddenly spat, ignoring the discomfort caused by his wound.

"Sure, sure. You never said it, my friend. "Cocky said, sympathetically. Then , he stood up, placed his backpack on his shoulders and threw the bottle with the blue ointment to Loki . Loki caught it with quick reflexes and visible displeasure.

"Put it on, I assure you it'll make you feel better, "insisted_ Cocky_, sounding rather honest .Then, regaining his normal arrogant tone, he continued "It seems I won't be able to talk with the principal today, so there's no reason for me to be here any longer. See you later, my friend. You know what? I like you; you show more eloquence than the rest of the beasts that abound in this school. My friends would be pleased to meet you. Anyway, I hope to see you soon on another occasion, where I'm in not a hurry and you don't have that ridiculous bruise to avoid you from speaking correctly. Good luck and goodbye"

With those words, _Cocky _walked towards the stairs in a proud manner. Loki was about to ask _Cocky_ something before he even put a single foot on the first stair.

But again, _Cocky _acted faster than Loki.

"Victor Von Doom" said the now named _Cocky,_ looking at Loki from over his shoulder, with the sunlight beams that filtered through the windows reflecting in the scar on his face "It was my name what you were going to ask me, wasn't it?"

* * *

Fury took a small sip from the glass filled with fresh water. His throat, tired of screaming, thanked the gesture.

He didn't take off his only eye from the boy sitting in front of him even for a second.

They had been discussing (or in other words, shouting at each other) for more the twenty minutes now, and they were nowhere near to reach an agreement. Fury still didn't understand why Thor had hit Bruce Banner, and Thor still didn't understand why Fury had dared to stop their fight.

"Screams, excuses, fighting ... Not everything in life is solved that way, Odinson " Fury scolded sternly. Thor growled deeply and pouted. He looked like a stubborn 5 year old throwing a tantrum.

He was really testing Fury's patience.

"But I already told you: I acted like that because ,otherwise, Hulk would have beaten my little brother to shreds! Which part of that that you don't understand, old man? I did nothing wrong!" Claimed Thor, looking at Fury with despair.

The principal sighed, growing really tired of Thor.

"The one you hit was not Hulk Banner, but his younger brother, Bruce" informed Fury, firmly placing his hands on his desk. Thor opened his eyes, and Fury was glad to see that the boy was finally beggining to understand his mistake, but this was short lived, because Thor immediately grumbled:

"Well, then those two brothers are nothing but bullies! I saw with my own eyes how Brandon was going to twist Loki's hand! Very wimpy Brandon may look, but inside, he is just as mean as Hulk! "

"Bruce, Odinson. His name is Bruce, not Brandon "corrected Fury.

"Who cares about his stupid name? ! I know I did right and I don't regret my action at all ...! "Thor said, folding his arms. Truth was, Thor wasn't so sure anymore if Brendon... Brad ... Bruce, or whatever his name was, had actually done something bad to Loki, and he also wasn't fully convinced of Bruce actually being a bully.

Maybe Bruce was just a poor boy who Thor had beaten unfairly.

Maybe… Thor had really acted like a mindless animal, as Steve had said….

"Ehh ... maybe I overdid it... a little." Thor reluctantly agreed "But Bruce could have said something to make me stop! Nobody told me that he wasn't Hu-... "

_No! Thor, stop! He isn't Hulk! Stop, you cursed idiot!_

_"Oh ... Well, shit" _thought Thor, at last seeing the wrong in his actions.

"Uh ..he he….whoops. B-but I didn't hit him so hard, anyway" Thor apologized, smiling nervously and scratching his head.

"Why no, you just let him with a face full of bruises. _And _one tooth less on his mouth" Fury stated, sarcastically.

Thor bit his lower lip.

"That has its good side!" Thor added, and then exclaimed with joy: " The tooth fairy will leave him a coin under his pillow tonight! "

He laughed with happiness, but stopped when he saw that Fury remained serious.

"...Do you consider yourself to be funny, Odinson? "Fury asked dryly.

"Nope, I'm not a clown."

" ... "

"... "

"That's it. You have now exhausted my patience. Get out of my office this instant! This time, only this time, I'll let you go only with a warning, but if you ever set foot in this office again , even if it is for the stupidest of faults, I'll leave in detention for so long that this school will become your new home. And I'll also ask your parents to come here so I can tell them personally about the spoiled and aggressive brat they have for a son! Is that clear, Odinson? "Fury exclaimed, slamming his hands on the desk, frightening Thor a little and almost spilling the glass of water on his desk.

" Sir. Yes, sir !" Thor replied, with a respectful salute "Sir, you are scary when infuriated, sir! "

"Stop talking to me as if I were a damn sergeant and leave! NOW! "Ordered Fury.

"Sir. Yes... I mean, as you say, chief! "

"And apologize to Bruce Banner! "Ordered Fury as Thor opened the door of his office " And for Pete's sake, don't slam …."

Too late.

"... The door! "

Fury immediately got used to the silence that returned to his office once Thor left. He got up from his chair and checked the door. Luckily, it had suffered no damage.

The exhausted principal again returned to his seat, and put his index fingers on his temples. He refilled his glass with water and was about to give a sip when he abruptly stopped. He put the glass back on the desk and pressed the intercom button.

"Miss Hill"

"Yes, Principal Fury? "Replied the voice of his secretary, sounding a bit robotic from the intercom.

"Would you kindly get me a pack of aspirins?" pointed Fury " This migraine is killing me…."

* * *

Loki received his brother as soon as he left Fury's office. Before he could say anything, Thor lifted him in a big bear hug.

Thor kept repeating how sorry he was for not arriving in time. Thor also mentioned something about getting lost in a maze in the library, and a dumpster full of Steve.

Ignoring his brother's babbling, Loki asked Thor what Principal Fury had said to him .Thor answered that Fury had only said stupid things and a lot of bull-….nonsense, but that he hadn't expelled him or anything like that.

That was, ironically, a bigger relief for Loki than it appeared to be for Thor.

"I made you a promise and I failed you, Loki! " Thor muttered, his voice trembling.

"Thor, calm down, don't exaggerate! And don't cry, damn it!. Not on my new shirt! " demanded Loki.

Eventually, Loki allowed Thor to continue apologizing to him , since it was impossible to make him stop.

Loki didn't care about it that much, really, but it was starting to annoy him; however, he managed to stay calm, especially after seeing that Thor was genuinely sorry, and at the edge of tears.

"Calm down at once,brother! I'm fine, Thor, can't you see? Everything is ok... "

"No, that's not true!" denied Thor with teary eyes "You must think I'm a fool… and an awful big brother! "

" Of course I think you are a fool, Thor " Loki said roughly. "But I have never thought you were ….!"

Loki stopped at that moment, and cleared his throat before continuing: "….well,what I mean is... after seeing that there are siblings such as Hulk, having you as mine….doesn't sound so bad anymore."

" Does that mean you forgive me, Loki? " Thor asked hopefully.

"If I say yes, would you stop whining like a damn kid? "

"Sure"

"Then yes, Thor, I forgive you. " Loki said, rolling his eyes and trying not to sound mellow "Now, Thor ... put me down before you break my spine in half, please"

"Of course, little brother! "Thor exclaimed, immediately recovering his coarse and cheerful character while completely forgetting his sadness upon receiving the forgiveness of his little brother. "Now that this is all resolved, let's go to the cafeteria! I'm starving! "

"And again, you allow your stomach to win over your brain so easily . As usual, brother " said Loki.

"A man must satisfy his appetite before anything else ,Loki! Especially with the healthy vitamin P diet! "

"Vitamin P diet? " Repeated Loki.

"Exactly. You know: Popcorn, Pudding, and Pop Tarts! "

"That sounds more like the diabetes diet to me " Loki remarked as he and Thor came down the stairs.

"Hey, don't despise the Vitamin P diet, Loki " Thor playfully threatened "That's why you're so skinny!"

"And that's why you are so stupid" Loki replied in a joking manner.

Thor laughed and gave his brother a very slight blow on the arm. Loki also allowed himself to smile.

His mood had improved drastically, and it wasn't only due the company of his brother or the absence of punishment they had received from the principal.

What really had cheered Loki up was that the bruise on his cheek was now almost completely gone. And what was better, he didn't have even the smallest trace of pain.

The ointment that _"Cocky"_ Victor Von Doom had given him had really worked, and in a much more effective way than Loki had originally expected.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Loki was willing to find Doom and thank him for his help

Finding someone so cocky at that school overflowing with simple-minded brutes, Loki thought, could not be that complicated.

* * *

_Another chapter done :D! Thanks to everyone for reading,reviewing,alerting,etc...I'm glad to see you are enjoying this story! I'll try to update soon ;)._

_Oh, and anonymous , I don't hate Loki :3 (though I admit I've been a bit harsh on him until now. Don't worry, he is strong,!)  
_

_Haha!  
_

_Thanks for reading!  
_


	7. In the Cafeteria

_All characters are property of Marvel.  
_

_Sorry for the long wait , my dear readers! And thanks to everyone reading this fic and thanks to **Pergithshme,8fangirl8,guest and Arrows the Wolf** for their reviews! Hope you enjoy this new chapter. If you have any suggestions, critique,comments,ideas,etc, feel free to tell me, in fact, I'd be very grateful :). Now, let the reading begin:_

* * *

Loki could not precisely remember the book on where he had read about how the best place for social interaction were the kitchens and dining rooms. As stated in that text, when people gathered together to share food, the natural need to initiate conversations and socialize was ignited.

And that statement was proved to be true for Loki from the moment he and Thor put one foot in the school's cafeteria. The intensity of the aromas that filled the place, especially the smells grilled food and the sweetness of the desserts, could only be compared with the bustle of the talks: echoes of laughter, joyful screams, ringtones of the mobile phones, the ringing of the trays being placed awkwardly on the metal tables ...

It was like an orchestra out of tune, not very pleasant to the ears of Loki; but for Thor, it was an exciting melody that made his heart pound.

" Let's get in the line at once, Loki! I want to taste the colonial delight this school has to offer "quickly exclaimed the happy eldest brother, pointing to his classmates formed in a single line, each with a tray in hand, while waiting for the cook to served them their lunch.

" Colonial? Didn't you mean _"culinary" _, brother? " Corrected Loki mockingly.

" Bah! As long it is food, how you call it matters not"

"As long as you can swallow it, you don't care about what you eat it , Thor" Loki said, crossing his arms " ... Sometimes I wonder if you can even tell the difference between a salad plate and a plate of grass"

" Of course I can, brother! " Thor said immediately

"Yeah, of course. As you were able to distinguish the whipped cream from Dad's shaving cream" Loki said as he approached the lunch line along with Thor. Thor grabbed one tray for him and another one for his brother.

"C'mon Loki, I was just a child back then." Thor said ,smiling.

" ... That was just two weeks ago, brother. "Loki added, looking at his brother with his eyes half-closed..

"'Well, I grew up a lot in that time." Thor explained "Just like a green apple becomes a red apple ... Unless it is green by nature. Although there are also yellow apples... well, you know what I mean"

Seeing there was no point whatsoever in contradicting his brother's senseless logic, Loki just sighed.

Deep down, Loki hoped for the food in that the school to be much better than the Pop Tarts pastries with shaving cream that he had eaten two weeks ago, when Thor decided to prepare dinner all by himself.

A decision that Loki and his parents, Odin and Frigga, fully regretted afterwards.

* * *

"Hi, my name is Tony Stark, age seventeen. And I'm here, sitting in the cafeteria, while my friend Clint smooches his russian girlfriend like a real champion ... While I enjoy the company of Steve _"The Beaten"_ Rogers ,and Bruce _"Toothless" _Banner. Pathetic, isn't it? "

"Shut up, Tony. And stop talking with yourself like a maniac"

"But Steve, I am only expressing my harsh reality to my beloved public"

"What public? "

"Myself, Brucie, myself ... "

Bruce blinked ,rather confused, and looked at Steve, expecting perhaps one explanation, but Steve just shrugged and rolled his eyes. Tony's behavior sometimes didn't need any words to be explained. Or rather, there were no correct words to describe it .

It was just Tony being Tony.

"But changing the subject ... What the hell is this in my tray?. I can think in a lot of possible names for it, but _"food"_ is definitely not one of them" said Tony, moving with his spoon the thick ,greenish substance that was his lunch "Fury seriously hates us, huh? "

"He only hates you, Tony " Bruce replied, hissing a little due the absence of his missing tooth ,a molar tooth " But ... you're right, this food is seriously disgusting. I think that from now on, I'll bring my own lunch."

"My thoughts exactly, Brucie "agreed Tony. He then threw the spoon on the table with resignation "But what did I expect for a three dollars lunch, anyway"

"Come on guys, it's not so bad. Also, remember that it takes the cook a long time to prepare this meal for us to waste it like that. Look, just hold your breath as you eat and... "Steve added, trying to eat and appreciate his lunch .He was able to hold the food inside his mouth for about three seconds, while smiling hesitantly, before abruptly spitting it back on the plate. "! PUAG! I mean...!Yum,tasty! "

"Really, Steve? Great! You can eat mine, then " said Tony, rapidly handing his lunch tray to Steve

"Wait, what? "Steve confusedly replied, feeling like a fool, but before he could say another word, Bruce also gave him his lunch, alleging that the beating he had received from Thor had ruined his appetite.

"Bon Appétit, Rogers" added Tony with a sarcastic smile and a wink.

"And good luck" Bruce said, giving thumbs up to Steve.

"Damn you, guys! " Steve angrily hissed while his friends laughed.

Despite his initial annoyance, Steve ended up joining them in their laughter. The bruise on his forehead was now just a painless mark.

Bruce was almost free of pain as well, although he occasionally felt slight twinges of pain on his face where ,Thor had discharged his massive fists.

Considering Bruce was not very tough physically talking, it was extremely remarkable how well he coped with his injuries. Clint had remarked that fact in some other occasion, when Bruce had accidentally received a full hit on his face with a soccer ball (which had been kicked by none other than a Tony, while trying to show off his _amazing _soccer skills to some girls who where nearby)

Bruce had explained that his endurance was mainly because he'd grown accustomed to beatings and strong hits , since he had technically lived all his life with Hulk as his older brother.

"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" had quoted Bruce, before Tony changed it to : _What doesn't kill you….leaves you alive for another beating._

"And that... "Tony replied, letting out a whistle and lighting another cigarette "…It's why I'm thankful I am an only child"

"EVERYONE is thankful that you are an only child, Tony. One Stark is more than enough for this world" said Steve.

"Amen to that" laughed Bruce, striking palms with Steve.

Tony let out the smoke inside his mouth and made a pot of fake sadness, accompanied with the middle finger, which was sincerely directed to his friends.

"By the way Tony, please be more careful the next time you throw away those disgusting cigarettes, because they could land on….Well, I don't know, the homework of others and almost start a fire, just like happened to me this morning " suggested Bruce, in a good mood but with a weak tone of reproach adorning his voice. Tony's eyes slightly widened ,and his sharp sarcasm hesitated for a moment.

But as it was common, Tony managed to recover his confidence in less than a second.

"Is Mr Toothless mad at me? Oh, how could I be so unspeakable rude today? Shame on me… "Tony said with a fake and sophisticated British accent.

"_Today_? Always, I'd say" sarcastically said Bruce

Steve could see that despite his two friends were arguing in a joking manner, Bruce was honestly angry with Tony, just as Tony was (if just a little ) sorry for having acted like a jerk towards Bruce that day . Steve knew them well enough to know that Bruce could be, if not exactly vengeful, a little resentful; while Tony, being Tony, could be very Tony.

Personally, Steve couldn't blame Bruce for feeling annoyed, as he didn't think he would too happy if he was in Bruce's shoes. He could have expressed that feeling out loud, but Tony would ignore him, and Bruce would take it more as a sign of pity rather than a sign of support.

Knowing this, Steve allowed his friends to settle their differences without him intervening at any point . Soon after, he was glad to see that Bruce ended up accepting the hinted and "acted" apology from Tony, who also seemed relieved to have clarified the matter once and for all.

"Although I must say ... that video would have been the new internet sensation "Steve joked ,once the tension between his friends was fully gone.

"Shut up and eat your lunch, wont you, Steve? " Bruce said with a snort.

"Yes Steve, you wouldn't like to infuriate Mr. Toothless anymore." commented Tony.

"Oh, how thoughtful of you–" Bruce laughed, and his two friends joined him immediately. None of them realized the fourth new voice until the laughers of Steve, Tony and Bruce stopped ,as the quickly transformed into genuine expressions of bewilderment.

But the fourth voice kept on laughing.

"Hahaha! ...! Mr. Toothless, hahaha! Hilarious, but what does it mean? And why did you stop laughing, my friends? "

By the time Thor finished talking, Bruce had already fled from the table, in order to save his remaining teeth . Tony had also left ,to supposedly get some more of that delicious lunch food.

An excuse Thor believed instantly, but Steve did not.

As for Steve, he was the only one who stayed there with the newcomer (but very welcome) Thor. While he didn't take it personally , Thor did notice the poor reception he had received from his classmates ,and was puzzled by the abrupt way in which they had left.

"Did I say something wrong? " Thor innocently asked to Steve.

"N ... no " replied Steve, with caution. While Thor wasn't acting in a hostile mood at that moment, Steve couldn't help to still feel a little scared at his presence "Th-they will re-return very soon"

"Oh, ok. I'll wait here, then" Thor said, shrugging. He was about to apology to Steve for having hitting him earlier that morning. And to show his new friend he was truly sorry, Thor would also give him a Pop Tart.

But before that...

"Steve, I have something very, very serious to ask you " Thor said very seriously, as if to emphasize his words even more. He cleared his throat,and with formality, he continued: "Are you going to eat all of those lunches? "

* * *

Tony would eventually have returned to the table with Steve and Thor ,that was true.

But that option just seemed too boring when he noticed how _busy _Natasha and Clint were. That pair of lovebirds... They looked so cute and romantic sitting there, talking while holding hands.

"Nobody would dare to ruin this tender moment …" Tony sighed theatrically to himself "Except for Tony Stark, of course. And that's me"

He adjusted his sunglasses over his eyes and walked like a real boss towards the couple. Once he arrived at their table, Tony took them by surprise as he surrounded Clint and Natasha with his arms.

"Let me remind you the school's rules, my sweet lovebirds: No running in the corridors, no eating inside the classrooms, no pulling up someone else underwear... Oh, and last but not least: NO making out in the cafeteria, if that is what you were planning to do. Just a friendly reminder of Tony Stark " Tony said with a big smile on his face.

"Stark! " Natasha growled, a little startled, with her cheeks a little flushed due to anger.

Clint twisted his mouth and rolled his eyes, hoping that Tony would just go away. Or at least, he hoped Tony would keep his stupid ,big mouth shut, which was technically impossible.

Anyway ,that didn't really matter any longer , because Tony had achieved his purpose: to ruin the moment …and to make Natasha angry.

* * *

When Bruce stopped to catch his breath, in the middle section of the cafeteria, he saw something that made him hold his breath and feel terrified, even more than he had been when he saw Thor sitting almost next to him:

At a nearby table was Loki, sitting with Doom and the rest of his friends.

That oddly intimidating image made Bruce shiver.

And for just one second that slipped away in an instant, Bruce thought they looked like a group of real villains.

* * *

_I'll try to update soon :)!_

_See you next time!_


	8. New Acquaintances

**_Disclaimer :All characters belong to Marvel_**

**_Hello, fellow readers! Sorry, it took me more time than I thought, but here's the new chapter. I thank 8fangirl8,dragonlord supreme,JakMarTheDarkWarrior,ArrowsTheWolf,Guest,Perjithshme and Beawolf's Pen for his reviews! Thanks guys! And of course, I also thank everyone reading this story!  
_**

**_Now, let the reading begin!  
_**

* * *

Of course, it was so terribly obvious that it was almost pathetic. The table occupied by Stark, Rogers and Banner... it was there where Thor wanted to sit. Loki didn't know why Thor was already so convinced that those guys were his friends, but Loki knew for sure that he didn't think the same way. He would have preferred to sit in a solitary table, with the sole and somewhat obligatory company of Thor.

Loki tried to convince his big brother, but Thor played deaf to his words. However, Loki was not going to give up so easily.

"You may be right, brother" said Loki, so estranged from his own words that he almost couldn't believe they had come from his own mouth "I may have judged those idio…guys, too fast. But you must understand that the best option would be to sit in another table"

"I don't understand what's the problem" reasoned Thor "Just look at them, they seem to be in a pretty good mood. I bet they are having fun! "

"Yes, but they are not the problem" replied Loki.

"So what's the problem, brother? "Asked Thor, confused and getting a little impatient. The hunger was making his stomach ache, and that made even more difficult to concentrate on what Loki was saying to him.

Loki pointed to a table, which wasn't too far away from the one occupied by Stark and others. Thor looked at that direction, squinting his eyes, and it took a few moments before he could finally find that which his brother was pointing to:

A heavily muscled boy, wearing dirty and slightly torned clothes, with a band aid in the middle of his nose. He had bloodshot eyes, and overall a terrifying aura.

"Who's that guy? " Thor asked with a deep voice, suddenly feeling quite angry. He already had a small suspicion of the other's identity, and if he was actually who Thor actually believed he was...

"Oh, he is no one…"Loki responded with a shrug and fake indifferent voice "He is just Hulk. You know, the guy that almost sent me to the hospital with a couple of fractures ... Nothing serious."

"So that's the famous Hulk, eh? ! " Thor roared, angrily gritting his teeth. His hands clenched tightly to his lunch tray, until his knuckles turned as white as ivory. He felt how his anger increased with every heartbeat

The sudden but no surprising anger of his brother was something Loki immediately noticed. He even feared Thor would end up breaking his the tray in half.

_ "Well, damn " _L_oki_ thought.

"That's the guy who hit you, isn't he, Loki?!.Well, now I'll let him know what happens when someone messes with the Odinsons! "

Thor gave a stride, but Loki quickly stopped him by blocking his path with his right arm. Thor looked at his brother with serious gaze, while Loki just stared at him blankly.

"Its ok, Loki. I'll take care of him. Just don't interfere "ordered Thor, believing that what his brother was worried about was his safety.

No one had noticed the scene that the two brothers were causing, and Loki was deeply relieved about it. He didn't want to feel the prying eyes of his classmates on him again... But most importantly, he didn't want Thor to start another fight.

Especially with Hulk.

Could it be that Thor had already forgotten that he had just been in the principal's office? Why he couldn't understand that he would be expelled if he started another of his foolish fights?

Loki was a little frustrated by the impulsiveness of Thor, and while it could be put to a good use at times, now was definitely not one of those moments. Loki exhaled through his nose and pulled away his arm from Thor's chest.

He realized it would be better to stop exaggerating his injuries or giving more details of the beating he had received from Hulk, because that would just make Thor more and more enraged.

The best thing was, Loki concluded, to distract Thor and mitigates his temperament,in order to make his usual friendly attitude return again.

Loki closed his eyes and smiled softly.

"Now, now, Thor. There will be a better time and a place to settle this score "Loki assured soothingly.

Thor's anger diminished slightly, but he still remained reluctant to overlook the matter.

"Here and now its the best time. " Thor stubbornly insisted "I don't fear that brainless caveman!"

_"Look who's talking"_... Loki thought sarcastically. He paused a moment, and when he felt that Thor had calmed a little bit more, he continued:

"I know that, brother. You are very brave and strong, and I had never doubted those qualities. " Loki was amazed at the ease with which Thor succumbed to those compliments, and how he immediately allowed his anger to be overcome by his pride. It was somewhat pathetic, thought Loki, but it was also an understandable reaction coming from Thor's simple mind. "But you must understand that circumstances do not favor us at this moment ... "

"Say what?"

"In simpler words, we should wait for a better opportunity. Look, the cafeteria is very crowded, meaning there would be a lot witnesses that could tell the principal what happened; also, the tables would make your movements slow and clumsy. In addition, Hulk could have friends nearby who would unfairly help him to fight you. And as such, there are several more disadvantages. In addition, the fight would not be so fun if you fight with your stomach empty. Think about it, Thor "

That was an impossible task, thought Loki, but his words seemed to work, as his brother gradually relaxed. However, Loki continued calming down his brother. Thor was like a bull with his horns ready to attack, but very hesitant to charge. And until he didn't completely calmed down, he was still dangerous, and Loki knew it was best not to provoke him anymore.

"Okay, I… I shall repay this debt another time …But I'm doing this only because I think you have stressed out a lot this day, Loki " Thor said, breathing heavily and looking away, as if saying those words required all of his strength. He sighed and then took a deep breath. Then, recovering his usual happy tone, he added: "Besides… The only thing better than fighting is eating, And I'm so hungry right now I could eat an elephant!"

"Nicely said, brother "praised Loki.

"I know! I've always been curious about how does a elephant stew taste. "

" ... I was actually talking about your decision of not fighting the Hulk, but whatever." Loki said, and decided to put an end to that topic.

For now, at least.

They continued to walk, and Loki had (bitterly and not exactly excited) almost accepted the idea of sitting at the same table with Stark and the rest of them. If Loki just ignored them, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

But just a few seconds later, his eye caught an acquaintance, sitting at a table not too far away.

_Cocky_.

Sitting with another small number of people.

¿Were they also as cocky as _Cocky _? Unlikely, but Loki still couldn't judge them.

Loki stopped, and Thor continued to walk a little before he noticed the sudden absence of his little brother.

"Loki? Is everything all right? You left me talking all by myself, you fool!" Thor reclaimed in a joking manner.

"What…? " Loki answered absently, not hearing what Thor had said "Uhm… yes. It-it's nothing Thor, it's just that... I remembered I forgot to ask for my change when I paid my lunch "

"Haha! So you remembered something you forgot? That's funny!"

"Yes, it's _hilarious _"said Loki with hidden mockery, which he knew Thor wouldn't get "I'll go back to retrieve it ,okay? You go on, I'll catch up in a minute"

"I'll go with you" Thor said, smiling as he followed his brother.

"NO! " Loki growled, suddenly turning on his heel. Thor's eyes widened in surprise, and Loki quickly regained his cool attitude "I mean... no, Thor. You must be really hungry, and it would be a waste of time if you accompanied me on something as boring as getting my money back"

"It maybe so, but I'll still go with you "

"But if you go with me, you won't have enough time to eat your Pop Tarts ... –"Loki said slyly.

"That's not a problem; I can eat it in the classroom. The teacher won't even notice!"

"... Yes, but in the classroom you won't be able to eat your lunch, will you?"

Thor was speechless. He scratched his chin.

"I hadn't thought of that ... " Thor accepted, not longer so convinced if he really wanted to accompany Loki to the lunch line again. Sure, he could protect Loki that way, but...

His stomach growled even louder.

Well, Loki was right; there was nothing to worry about. Thor would keep an eye on Hulk, and as long as he did that, everything would be fine. "-... Okay, I'll go sit down, but I'll be alert. And remember Loki, if things go wrong, just call out our signal: MJOLNIR! "

"You just came up with that word, Thor" Loki said, not surprised at all.

"Yes, I know, but it still sounds great " Thor answered, starting humming that word as if it was a song. He gave Loki a pat on the head before he walked away towards the table where Stark and the others were.

Loki waited for his brother to be at a considerably distance before embarking on his journey towards his true destination: The table where there was Cocky and his _"not- sure- if -cocky "_ group of friends.

* * *

Could looks have weight?

Loki didn't know for sure, but at that moment, he had the full assurance that they indeed had.

There was no other way to explain why he had been paralyzed just at the moment Cocky and those sitting with him looked at him, almost fiercely, as if Loki was a lion wandering around the enemy territory.

Those simple five looks totally outweighed those of his classmates in the morning, who roamed in a number of twenty-four.

The situation became even more difficult for Loki when Cocky gave no sign of recognizing him.

Well, of course. What kind of welcome had Loki expected from a cocky? A cheerful welcome filled with applauses and confetti?

Yeah, sure.

Despite that, Loki managed to maintain a collected and secure posture.

"What are you doing here, loser? Did you lose your brain? Get out of my sight before you really piss me off! "

That order didn't come from Cocky (_... what was his real name? ...) _but from a boy sitting next to him. He had black hair, slightly muscular body and weird shaped eyebrows and ears. "_Pointy" _was a word Loki could think of to describe them.

If Loki had found that guy elsewhere, he would have found his appearance being worth couple of laughs.

But at that moment, Loki had no desire to laugh at all.

In fact, it was the last thing he wanted.

"Don't start with your quarrelsome attitudes, Namor, and less with an acquaintance of mine " Ordered Cocky _(... what was his name? Vlad, Vick ...) _with a passive but severe voice.

"Who gives a shit... "Muttered Namor bitterly, folding his arms and reluctantly obeying his friend.

Namor's attitude reminded Loki of Thor. He looked just like his brother did whenever he threw one of his childish tantrums. Loki clung to that image to make his situation more bearable.

"Have a seat, unless you'd like to continue standing there like a statue." invited Cocky _(Von ...? Is Von his last name? ...)_,showing a free seat between a boy who had white hair and blue eyes and other stocky guy, who had brown hair and an eternal frown and whose overall appearance Loki found slightly familiar . "Pietro, Barney, make some more room , because I can see that the new guy isn't satisfied with the space that I offered him"

"Oh, sure. Forgive us, Mr. New. We didn't want to hurt your feelings "sarcastically apologized the boy with white hair, Pietro.

The other, Barney, simply did as he was told, without looking or saying anything to Loki.

It was then that Loki noticed how quiet he had been until then, and rightly so, because he had nothing interesting to say. His mind was lost, wandering in the void, while his eyes remained firmly fixed on ...

"If you're going to stare at me , at least have the decency to be discreet" coldly said a female voice, while Loki's eyes involuntarily stayed fixed on the legs of the girl. He immediately looked away, as if he had been slapped, and felt how his cheeks started to blush. Loki couldn't remember the second when he had involuntary started to look at the girl, but the fact she had caught him while doing so made the whole thing extremely embarrassing.

"Chill, dude, I do the same thing all the time" Pietro assured with smile "All guys on the school, actually, even the teachers ...Ok, all right! Take it easy, Emma! You needn't look at me like that. Damn, I was just joking , Frost ... "

"That's curious, I didn't know that vulgarity was the same as humor" dryly said the girl, Emma Frost " Your simplicity bothers me, Pietro"

"And your legs amaze me, Emma!" replied Pietro with a wink, which caused Emma to grow even more annoyed .

"You two won't fight again, will you?" exclaimed Namor visible not in the mood for his friends quarrels. "Dammit, why do you always have to ruin my lunchtime with your bullsh-"

_Cocky _calmed things down that moment with only one sharp gaze he directed at his friends. The only one who remained totally indifferent was Barney. A really quiet fellow, Loki noticed, as he still wondered who Barney reminded him of.

"Well ... "Cocky continued, looking at Loki _(...his name, his damn name ...) _"Are you going to sit or not? "

"Since you ask so politely... "Loki replied, finally sitting down. " ... Though you forgot to say please"

"No, I didn't forget "said Cocky_ (Victor Von Doom!) _in a serious and cold voice "-it's just that you see, Loki, I never ask favors. You could say it goes against my principles"

"What a coincidence, we share the same principles ,then" replied Loki, recovering some of his confidence.

Doom smiled slowly, and even let out a weak laugh, which was followed by another new silence.

Brief, but for Loki, it seemed eternal.

* * *

It was simply a matter of time , ten minutes at most, before Loki started feel a lot more confident among his new companions; and soon , he was counter-attacking Namor's bad attitude with even more acidic responses, diverting the childish taunts of Pietro with indiference and , occasionally, even joking with Doom.

Emma and Barney remained quiet, and almost completely ignored Loki , but he didn't mind, as he had no desire to get to know them. For what he had concluded, Emma and Barney were apathetic ,silent snobs.

So why bother with them?

Ignoring them was a lot easier than trying to get to know them.

"Hey, hey, Loki, check this out! " Eagerly urged Pietro , throwing some food into the air , which then fell back and he caught with his mouth. The young man self congratulated his _admirable_ feat and smiled triumphantly. " Ta-da!"

Loki winked, not knowing what to say, while Doom rolled his eyes and Namor snorted disapprovingly.

"Too bad you didn't choke with that " Namor commented "Now, that would be worth seeing!"

"Shut up. You're just jealous ,Elf ears" Pietro dryly muttered, pouting and stopping his childish displays and putting his whole attention in his lunch, as he had lost all interest in the converstion.

Pietro's attitude brought Loki the image of his big brother back to his mind.

"He reminds you of your brother,doesn't he, Loki?" Asked Doom.

Loki felt a hole in hole stomach as soon as he heard what Doom had not only said, but also somewhat affirmed.

Loki was about to refuse that assumption, but he stopped at the last second.

He knew that Doom wasn't an idiot, and continue to insist that Thor wasn't his brother was already totally in vain.

It was like someone with swollen eyes and runny nose still insisted he didn't have a cold.

Loki cleared his throat, and he felt how Emma stared at him. For being someone who demanded discretion, Emma certainly lacked of it, Loki thought.

Or maybe, she just didn't care.

"Just a little " Finally answered Loki " Childish, annoying, talkative ...they would get along great."

Doom guffawed, and that was the most genuine laugh that Loki had heard from him so far. He was quickly followed by Namor's mocking laughter.

Even Emma, for Loki's surpirse, smiled a little.

Pietro just blushed and mumbled quietly, surely most of his unintelligible words being curses.

"Siblings, especially brothers, must be so horribly hard to bear" said Doom once he stopped laughing " Don't you think so, Barney?"

Barney just shrugged and continued eating quietly. Loki wondered what Doom had meant by that.

"Luckily I just have sisters " said Pietro, with his mouth full of bread crumbs " And they are not so bad!"

"True, they are not bad at all..., especially Wanda, if you know what i mean." Namor commented under his breath, but Pietro did listen the rude comment and gave Namor a deathly gaze. If Namor cared about it, he gave no sign whatsoever that he did.

"In any case, it's better to be an only child, to avoid unecessary conflicts, and best of all, to ensure total inheritance of properties" Von Doom established diplomatically " Do not you think so, Emma?"

"I could not agree more, Victor " replied the girl.

"What do you think, Loki? "

Loki nodded, taking a sip from his milk's carton ,looking for an excuse to not to talk.

"Oh, I see. You don't want to talk . Very well, I realize that my attempts at starting a conversation bother you,Loki " Doom observed, showing indignation "If that's the case, maybe you shouldn't be here ... "

"Or maybe, you should give me enough time to answer you before you get all ofended, Co...Victor" replied Loki, stopping the nickname just in time. "And what I think about siblings is that they... "

A second later, a huge ball of food hit Pietro right in the head. The white-haired boy grunted in surpirsed.

"OUCH! What the hell ...! Who did it? ! " Demanded Pietro,as he turned around to see his classmates , with his hand touching the food that now adorned all of his haiir. " Scott! Surely it was you, you son of a ...!"

And without thinking for a moment, Pietro quickly grabbed a handful of his food and threw it against his classmate. The food, however, rebelled against it's pitcher and decided to crash into someone else.

"Wanda!" Pietro cried, slapping his forehead "Sorry sis, it wasnt meant to hit you!"

"But THIS is meant to hit you! " Someone else exclaimed, throwing more food , that ended up hititng Clint Barton.

"Oh, right in the forehead, Clint! " Tony laughed, but Natasha silenced him by smashin her tray on his face.

"Oh, right int he face, Stark!" mocked the girl.

"Johnny Storm ... " Clint breathed, wiping the food from his face. He grabbed a handful of food, lifted his arm and with a glance in his eyes, he said: "... This is war! "

Johny, just like had happened with Tony, ended up with his whole face covered with food, as a result of Clint's excellent aim.

The rest inmediatly followed , and in less than a minute,the cafeteria transformed into a loud show of flying food, carton milks and even trays and chairs.

Screams of fun could be heard everywhere , as if they were background music.

A few left the cafeteria as soon as the food fight started. Most of them left because they were afraid their expensive clothes would end up dirty. Such was the case of Doom, who left the cafeteria together with Emma and Barney, saying nothing to his other friends. Loki could see how Barney didn't hesitate to receive a blow of food for his friends Victor and Emma.

He was like a shield.

Or a bodyguard.

Loki was about to follow them, but a sudden shout made him stop, more by instinct than by choice.

"FINALLY SOME FUN, OH YES . MJOLNIR!"

It was Thor, and Loki could see with the corner of his eye how his brother launched a tray in a random direction.

It would have hit Pietro, but he dodged it at the last second . Loki also doged the tray , and it ended up smashing against Namor.

Namor was furious, and in a fit of rage, he began to throw food like crazy in all directions, not caring who he hit with it. And Loki was one of the many who recieved a part of Namor's blind rage.

Loki snorted , extremly upset, and before he could carry out his revenge on Namor, a hand grabbed him by his left arm and forced him to stand and run away from there. Pietro was very entertained by the food fight and Namor was too angry to realize how Loki was taken away by ...

"Bruce!" Cried Loki, while the other leaded him, running towards the exit of the cafeteria.

"I'll explain later, Loki, but now we must get out of here!" Bruce exclaimed, his voice sounding nervous and urgent.

However, Loki suddenly stopped , forcing Bruce to do the same.

"Let me go! "Authoritatively ordered Loki, freeing his arm from Bruce's hand "And tell me now what the hell it's wrong with you! "

Behind them, and although he wasn't close, Loki and Bruce could hear how Hulk began to roar. Someone had been stupid enough to throw Hulk a vase of pudding that had hit him in his right cheek.

"Well, damn ..." Loki and Bruce said at the same time.

They looked at each other.

"Could I explaine you everything outside?" Bruce suggested, turning pale with fear.

"You read my mind " Loki agreed, feeling a shiver going down his spine.

They ran like never before they had in their lifes until they reached the exit of the cafeteria. Yet ,even after leaving that place, the two boys didn't stop running , not until they legs started to hurt and their hearts pounded inside their chests like drums.

Loki looked around as he panted. They were on the stairs, not too far from their classroom.

"So much stress is not good for my health ... " Bruce panted, breathing heavily and putting a hand on his forehead, resting his back on a wall. "It will give me tachycardia one of these days..."

"Be sure not to get it today, Banner! " Ordered Loki. And despite being very tired, he demanded: " And concentrate, beacuse you owe me an explanation!"

* * *

Hulk was furious. The pudding in his cheek had left a sticky sensation on his face. He tried to clean it off, but in his clumsy attempts, soon his hair and even his clothes ended up dirty.

He punched the table with his giant fists.

Hulk wanted to hit something

Hulk wanted to vent his fury .

He was even more angry than when the green-eyed puny worm had unfairly stolen his seat in the morning.

Remembering that did no good, because it only increased his anger.

He roared, and tore his lunch tray in half. The veins in his neck throbbed with great force.

He would soon lose control again.

The scandal around him was so disorienting.

Laughters, shouts and food flying everywhere.

What had happened? Everything had been so quiet before... He had been so quiet and peaceful, and now this ...

Why?

Hulk had only wanted to eat his lunch in peace, nothing more. It wasn't much to ask.

Was it?

"Aaargh! " Hulk growled, growing annoyed by so many questions in his mind.

_"Hulk ..."_ Fury's voice resounded in Hulk's ears , with such clarity that they almost seemed real. Hulk stopped his fit of rage and he clenched his teeth. He remembered how Fury and Coulson had escorted him to his corresponding classroom, as if he was a wild animal and they were his tamers. Before opening the door and ordering him enter the classroom, Fury had told him that "... _the next time ,I will say nothing to you, and I wont penalize you. Damn, I wont even send for your parents. I'll just expell you from this school , simple as that. Because, honestly Hulk, I 've had enough and I'm tired of you. I don't care if expelling you means you will have to abandon your damn studies for the rest of your life. Are we clear, Hulk Banner? I hope we are, because I wont repeat myself again."_

Expelled. From school.

Forever.

Hulk wasn't as bright as his wimpy little brother, but he fully understood the gravity of those words, and he also understood its consequences.

Perhaps not very accurately, but he knew that if he was expelled school, his parents would take extreme measures against him.

Also, Hulk didn't want to return to those weird and boring talks which he had attended in summer, with that old, four eyed doctor that explained him how to succumb to his firs of rage was bad.

Very bad. Bad Hulk.

But Hulk wasn't bad, nor he had fits of rage!

HE DIDN'T HAVE!

"Hulk ... Hulk ... Hulk should count to ten and calm down" the big boy whispered to himslef. He tried to practice this exercise until his nerves calmed down, but the scandal around him was just too loud for him to ignore "Hulk should get out of here. Hulk wants peace!"

He stood up, with his face full of pudding.

He left the cafeteria ,with his hands on his head, making a huge effort to control himself.

And, despite all odds, he succeced.

If there was any witness to this great example of self-control, it was Steve Rogers, who was kneeling on one side of the table , as he tried avoid the raining food.

"If I don't see it, I don't believe it ... " Steve whispered to himself in disbelief.

'Well, if you don't see it, Rogers ... " Tony said, catching his friend by surprise and suddenly throwing a plate of spaghetti on his face "... you certainly can't avoid it ! Watch your back, pal!"

But karma is vindictive, and Tony tried a spoonful of his own medicine when Thor took him by surprise and threw at him, not just one, but all three lunches that Steve had given to him.

"Oh yeah,that's three points for me.I win! " Exclaimed Thor, very excited.

Tony wiped his face with his hands, and he cleaned his sunglasses with his shirt.

"At least he didnt' throw me one of those nasty Pop Tarts ... " he said relieved.

Then ,Thor threw him a Pop Tart.

* * *

Doom and Frost, escorted by Barney, walked down the hall when Hulk appeared, running towards them. If it wans't for the quick reaction of Barney of taking them by their shoulders and push them aside, both Emma and Victor would have fallen to the floor, with a couple of bruises as a result.

"Looks like that ugly troll has finally lost his mind " Doom said disdainfully , while he carefully cleaned the wrinkles of his clothes.

"I wouldn't be surprise if he ends up in the madhouse one of these days " Emma said, standing next to Victor.

Doom smiled cruelly.

"Me neither, my dear Emma" he said with a gloomy voice, bringing a hand to his scar " Me neither"

They then continued to walk, with Barney following them from behind If they had chosen to climb the stairs that were down that same hall, they would have found Bruce and Loki.

Loki was listening at Bruce explanation of his actions, just as Bruce had promised to do.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading!_**


	9. Bruce's Advice

_**Disclaimer : All charcter belong to Marvel**_

_**A/N :Well hello , fellow readers! I'm back with this new chapter. As I always do , I want to thank everyone reading this fic and also to those who commented on the last chapter. Thanks for giving me your opinion. Oh, and Red, I don't hate Loki XD. I know I've been a little too tough with him until now, and maybe I have overdone it, but I do it in order to develope his character as the history continues. Then again, I thank you for giving me your opinion, and I will be taking it in account ;)**_

_**Now, lets read !**_

* * *

"In this city, there are two major companies: The Magneto Company, especialized in the studies and production of magnets, and The Doom Metal Company. The latter was previously the greatest industrial empire in the whole country, but nowadays it's just an ordinary company. It remains on the market but ... well, it's glory days are long gone".

"So it's a dying empire?"

"I would describe it as a company that went from ruling the world to fighting to stay alive. Barely alive ... "

"You're a genius in making comparisons, Banner. An elementary schooler would be jelous of your ability. "

"Come on, Loki. That's not the point of this conversation. If I wanted to hear jokes and mocks, I would have stayed with Tony"

"And if I wanted to hear nonsense, I would have stayed with Thor. So I ask you to go straight to the point instead of boring me to death with the _sad_ and ridiculous story of Doom's family company""

"Fine. History made short, Victor and his friends are the most selfish and oportunist persons in this school. And it would be wise if you stayed away from them ,Loki"

That was the point Bruce wanted to talk about since the begining of the conversation . It was simple and straightforward, and Bruce saw that it had cause an impact in Loki, as he frowned slightly and folded his arms.

"Why, isn't it sweet you worry about me even if we just met a few hours ago? I'm so touched." Loki said mockingly "Thanks Banner, but I am perfectly able to choose who I wanna hang out with ..."

"Well, then you should choose better " Bruce interrupted, with some abruptness and somewhat annoyed by Loki's attitude " Look, I did not mean to sound so rude, but you must believe me when I say that Doom and his group are bad company. Several of our friends and classmates have had problems with them before. For example, Reed Richards was almost expelled from school last year, after a discussion he had with Doom in the scientific debate at the school anual science fair ... Me and Tony were there, and I can assure you that Reed's only mistake was to contradict Doom and told him he was wrong about ..."

"Yeah, yeah ." interrupted now Loki, with a wave of his hand " I do not know who this Reed is, and I don't really care, but I must say it all sounds like it was his fault in the first place. Besides, I already know that Victor is not exactly the saint of the school, but he has also proven me not to be the total jerk you think he is, Bruce. Look ... "

Loki pointed at his cheek with his finger, where now there was only a small mark where the bruise had been. Bruce settled his glasses and looked in awe. He had been so nervous and worried to notice that detail before. Bruce was going to ask Loki how he managed to heal his wound so quickly, but Loki spoke first.

"An ointment Doom gave me. " Loki explained "Initially, I thought it was just another stupid prank to the new guy, but I dared to try it and now I'm better. Actions speak louder than words, Bruce."

That was a good argument, Bruce granted, but he then gave a small smile that slightly puzzled Loki.

What was so funny?

" So Doom used you as his guinea pig? " Bruce inquired, still smiling. "Yeah well, you were lucky, Loki. That ointment could have given you an allergy , or even worse side effects. ... Although I must admit, it's quite impressive ,and seems to work well."

"As I said: Actions before words, Banner." Loki insisted, and then he added " Besides, you speak as if you were able to choose good friends . That explains why you are friends with that Stark guy, who chose to tape Thor beating the living heck out you instead of helping you. Yes, now that's a great friend. Congratulations, Bruce."

Bruce found himself speechless at such accusation. He looked away and scratched his head, letting out a deep sigh.

"Tony is a jerk sometimes " Bruce admitted, shrugging and looking at Loki again "But he is honest, and I know you won't believe me, but deep down he is a loyal friend. Not like Doom ,who will turn his back on you and and betray you as soon as you are no longer useful to him , or simply because he has grown tired of you. You've seen it, Loki, how he treats his so called_ 'friends'_ , especially Pietro. "

"Yes, I have noticed that." Loki admitted, feeling a little of truth in what Bruce had said. However , he didn't hesitate to reply "But I've also noticed how the others in this school behave. And all are really and equally ... annoying. For example, your brother."

"Heh, maybe you got a point there."Bruce replied with a laugh " Though yours is not far behind. He punches with the strength of a bear"

"And he also has the brains of one " Loki added almost unconsciously.

There was then a moment silence, that was broken when Loki and Bruce started to laugh. The tension of the discussion was inmediatly broken with that simple gesture. Loki was surpirsed to see how a simple comment could change everything in an instant.

Neither Bruce nor Loki enjoyed those situations a lot, but both of them had had a long day ,and even that moment of forced laughter proved to be comforting.

"Auch ... " Bruce complained unexpectedly, unintentionally hissing as he put a hand on a wound that Thor had caused him in his face.

That was enough to override the laughter, allowing Loki to realize that he was not the only one who had suffered a beating that day from a stupid big brother. Loki held the belief that apologizing on behalf of the acts of others was useless, but ...

Bruce HAD apologized to him for the actions of Hulk.

So, maybe, just this time ...

"I 'm... sorry for what my brother did to you " Loki said,reluctantly and almost under his breath .The faster he was done with that , the better. "He has the instincts and intelligence of a caveman ."

Bruce nodded.

"I understand more than enough." said Bruce " Big brothers ... "

"More like Big problems ... "

"Though deep inside, they are not so bad..." Bruce added softly. After a few seconds, he said " Well, that definitely was the biggest lie I have said in my whole life."

"It certainly was .Lies are not your speciality,are they, Banner?." Loki said with friendly acidity.

"Oh, and I guess they are yours, then? ." Asked Bruce, without really expecting an answer. It was just a question he had asked out of fun.

But if it had been a serious question, then Loki could have put into words the answer he had thought on his mind.

Banner had no idea...

Then, the schoolbell rang. The echo of the scandal of the cafeteria started to gradually decrease, until it became a peaceful melody of whispers from the students ,as they all returned to their classrooms.

"Well, we should head back to the classroom too." Bruce suggested, looking at the watch on his wrist.

" Is that all? A savage food fight occurs in the cafeteria and there's no punishment, scolding, or even a corny speech from the principal?" Loki asked while Bruce started walking towards the hall.

"No. Fury realized that didn't work at all " said Bruce "So he came up with another way to deal with food fights"

"How clever of him " urged Loki with a hint of mockery " And what is this new solution, if I may ask? "

"If the fight doesn't stop as soon as lunch time is over, couch Logan comes with a hose and shots high preassure water at us. Sounds fun? Maybe, but believe me, it isn't. " Bruce answered ,almost with fun ,looking at Loki's confused expression as they walked together back to the classroom.

"...This school is insane" Loki declared blankly.

"Don't worry .You will get used to it. " Bruce said quickly "It took me a few years , but I eventually managed to do so, and look at me! I'm doing just fine."

"...Wow, Banner, that really didn't help. At all." replied Loki.

"Well, I tried." answered Bruce.

The two boys arrived at the classroom before anyone else , and they sat again on their respective places . Loki decided to remain in Hulk's desk . It was the best decision, especially after all the problems he had gone through thanks to it. He had already suffered enough, and to pull back now would be a total waste.

Bruce returned to his seat in the middle of the classroom, which Coulson had assigned to him. Bruce would have preferred a place a bit more closer to the front, but at least he would be near Tony and Steve.

But when the rest of group arrived and Bruce discovered that Thor would also sit near him , he shivered.

Reaching the end of that school year with his remaining teeth intact ,Bruce thought, now seemed like an impossible task ...

* * *

_**Sorry for the short chapter. I will update tomorrow :D**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	10. First day done

**Disclaimer :All characters Belong to Marvel**

**Well yeah, I didn't exactly update the day I say I would... Sorry about that, but life got real all from a sudden, like, really real O_o Haha, it calmed down now, so yay.**

**I'd like to thank all the readers and JakMarTheDarkWarrior,electracait and No-MY Name's Anonymous for reviewing the last chapter . You guys are great!**

**Okay , I hope you like this new chapter.**

* * *

Thor adored food fights, as he considered them a way of getting free food. He had initiated hundreds of them together with Volstagg and Fandral back in his old school, much to the annoyance of Sif and Hogun.

However, remembering his old friends only made more painfully obvious for him how alone he was at that moment. Tony and Steve had left a little while ago, and Thor wondered when they would return.

He also wondered if Bruce would even return at all. Sure, Thor had beaten him up , but that didn't mean he wouldn't return!

Did it?

Thor tried to overcome those doubts by thinking more logically, as Loki would have advised him to do. But it didn't turn out as comforting as he expected, since that only made him noticed that Loki hadn't returned either.

Now, he didn't only had to wonder where his new friends were, but also when was his little brother coming back!

Thinking logically apparently,Thor thought, was only useful to increase one's worries.

No wonder why Loki was always so stressed...

* * *

"Clint ... you seriously need to stop inviting our friends to sit with us at lunch"

"I don't invite them, Nat." Clint replied dryly "They invite themselves just to make us mad."

'Well, aren't they the funniest..." said Natasha sarcastically.

Both Clint and Natasha were already fed up with food fight. When Tony had finally left them alone, they came to believe that they could finally be at peace again. And they did, for a while, until Steve arrived.

"Steve, why are you here?" Natasha asked, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder

"Seriously, man." Clint said, crossing his arms "And why you look so upset? You look as if you had seen the bibliotecary's naked ass!"

"I certainly didn't need that mental image ,Clint. Thanks. " Steve started, a little embarrassed "And it's not my intention to annoy you, guys. It's just that Thor arrived at the table where I was sitting together with Tony and Bruce... and he scared them off. Tony eventually returned ,but then he ran off again."

"At least that's some good news..." muttered Natsha.

"So I'm not sitting all alone with Thor ." continued Steve with determination " Not after seeing how he beated Bruce! And he also hit me earlier, when I accompained him for the chalk professor Coulson needed. He is dangerous and agressive . I even dare to say he is as agressive as Hulk!"

"Come on, Steve" said Natasha, rolling her eyes "Thor is as harmless as a teddy bear"

"A very ugly teddy bear ." Clint added cheekily "But harmless still. Just be sure not to push his buttons ,and everything will be all right"

"Oh, I see. Well, if he is so harmless, then why don't you guys go and sit with him?" Steve asked.

"That's not the point of this conversation." Quickly answered Natasha, unaltered by the accusitive tone in Steve's voice.

"You're right. The real point is that you two just want me out of here." Said Steve with some reproach.

"Well...yeah. " accepted Clint, shrugging. "And I think we are in our right. Right, dear?"

"Indeed" agreed Natasha . "And Clint, if you ever call me again by other cheesy nickname such as 'dear' or 'baby'..."

"I get it, I get it. " interrupted Clint "Sorry ba-... Nat."

As they talked, Steve was lost in his thoughts. Though he strongly disagreed with his two friends opinion of Thor being a harmless teddy bear, he still felt a pinch of remorse when he saw the image of Thor sitting all alone.

Maybe, Steve thought, he was being a little too harsh on him.

Perhaps Thor had proven himself to be a little rash and agressive (and not to say his punches hurt like the srtike of a hammer ),but... his intentions hadn't been bad.

After all, Thor had only acted like that because he wanted to help his brother.

After seeing the past incidents under this new light, Steve started to change his mind.

He realized that if he acted according to such prejudgements, he wouldn't be any different from people he deemed despicable and mean, such as Doom.

"Maybe ... " Steve began, running a hand through his hair ,dirty with food. "Maybe I'm crazy, but I'll try to get along with him again. But if I end up in the hospital, I'll blame it on you two."

He smiled at Clint and Natasha, and then he apologized for having interrupted them in the first place.

"Never mind that." Natasha dismissed , waving her hand, and then she jockingly added "Such its the price of friendship"

"And it is steep as hell" said Clint with a smile.

Steve left, gathering courage along the way.

"Peace at last " sighed Natasha as she watched how Steve walked away.

"Not totally ,because we still have a food fight happening around us. " Clint reminded her,holding a tray just in time to block a slice of chocolate cake that would have crashed against his face.

"True, but this is still more bearable than Tony and his meddling." said Natasha as she dodged a lost bullet of food.

"There are people more annoying than him,Nat. "Clint said in an attempt to defend his friend.

"Really? " Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow and letting out a slight laugh, as if that question was absolutely ridiculous. "Like who?"

And just as Natasha finished speaking, someone landed on their table, causing a big metalic sound. The newcomer raised his head and look at Clint and Natasha with dizzy eyes.

"I think I sprained something...everything... " Pietro growled from the table, and Clint and Natasha silenced him with two simultaneous glares.

Hitting Namor at the back of the head with a tray was , without a doubt , definitely not one of the brightest ideas Pietro had had that day.

Or even, in all his entire life.

* * *

Steve approached Thor cautiously, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Thor immediately seemed to cheer up when he saw him , as he was no longer alone.

"Hey, friend! I was beginning to think you'd been abducted by aliens , but I'm glad to see you're back! Although there's no sign of Anthony yet . I guess maybe he was really abducted! What do we do now?!" Thor said amicably, talking very quickly. Steve struggled to understand at least half of what Thor had said.

"Well ... " Steve began, wanting to say something witty. Or interesting ,at least.

But then, to the surprise of all the students, the war ended when the emergency showers began to operate.

" It's raining ! What sorcery is this?" Thor exclaimed, a little shocked.

"It isn't rain. It's just the emergency showers the principal instaled to stop food fights" Steve explained.

"Oh I see ..." Thor said, nodding. "Awesome!"

Steve and the others didn't find it that amusing, however. Getting a cold was not exactly Steve's idea of awesome. The only ones who seem to enjoy the water were Thor and Namor.

"What? It's just water, you bunch of sissies!" exclaimed Namor, glaring at his classmates, who had now lost all interest in the fight , with some of them even beggining to leave the cafeteria. "Suck it up and let's continue!"

"Yeah, that's what your mom said!" Pietro yelled at him.

"That's it! I'm going to kill you! " Namor roared. His face was red of anger.

He charged at Pietro, who despite being tired from the fight, still managed to run away before Namor caught him.

"It was worth it!" Pietro screamed while Namor chased after him as they both abandoned the cafeteria.

Steve shook his head, not amused.

"Whoa, those guys are great! " comented Thor " I don't even know their names but they seem to be really-"

"Forget about them ,Thor. " Steve interrupted, a little abruptly . "And let's get going before Fury decides to carry on with the second phase of his 'Protocol to stop food fights' "

"And what happens at the second phase? " Thor wanted to know "Instead of water, it rains chocolate?"

"Not really. " corrected Steve "Instead, Couch Logan comes and starts to pour us with a fire hose"

"Oh, I see ... " Thor repeated. "Awesome!"

"Ehh...right" said Steve, realizing he and Thor didn't exactly share the same definition of 'awesome'.

Natasha and Clint arrived and helped Steve to get out of the cafeteria before Thor started again with his senseless questions.

When the four were finally in the hallway , Thor took the opportunity and introduced himself to Clint and Natasha.

"Your hair looks funny,Natasha. Reminds me of ketchup. And hey Clint, what's with the eternal frown? "

Steve could noticed how both of his friends were a little annoyed by Thor.

This wasn't surpirsing , as Clint and Natasha were not the easiest people to get to know thoroughly (sometimes, Steve felt he still didn't really know everything about them, even though he had known them for years).

Only time would tell if they would accept Thor as a friend or as an annoyance, Steve thought.

"But anyways, I have something to give you, my new friends" Announced Thor unexpectedly, taking out three Pop Tarts from the pocket of his pants and reparting them among his three friends. "I was saving one for Anthony and another one for Bruce, but I got hungry so... now I only have these three."

"Thanks , Thor. I guess" said Steve, looking at the soaked Pop Tart. He also wondered for a second where Bruce and Tony were. Bruce could be nearby , but Steve knew he wouldn't come close to them as long Thor was around. And Tony...

Well, Tony could be anywhere, really.

"You shouldn't have." said Clint without smiling "You _really_ shouldn't have..."

"A cheap and unhealthy dessert" Natasha said, examining the food package " It's technically diabetes in an envolture. I'm not sure if I'm grateful."

"Haha! Hey , Loki said more or less the same thing! " Thor laughed. And just as fast his smile had appeared, it dissapeared once again. "By my father's beard, I forgot about Loki! We have to go back for him!"

Just a Steve was about to tell him to wait, Fury's deep and strict voice started to come out of the speakers in the hallway's walls.

"Okay scoundrels, I've had enough of your crap for one day, so any of you who isn't in your respective classrooms before I can say '_Food fights is for retards and sissies'_ is going to clean the whole damn cafeteria under the supervision of Couch Logan and his assitant High Preassure Fire Hose. UNDERSTOOD?_"_

Understood or not, everybody knew Principal Fury wasn't joking, so they all rushed to their classrooms so fast they started to push each other around. Steve , Clint and Natasha lost sight of Thor in the chaos, and they thought he had gone back to the cafeteria to search for his brother. However, they found him again as they were about to reach their classroom.

Thor was confused and seemed lost. Apparently , the whole thing had caught him off guard. Steve, Natasha and Clint helped him to enter the classroom.

It took a while for Thor to overcome his confusion, but when he did, he inmediatly grasped the idea of going back to the cafeteria and search for Loki.

That was not neccesary, however, as he quickly caught sight of his brother in the classroom. Thor sighed in relief and smiled at Loki, whose only reply was a cold gaze.

Once Thor returned his attetion to those two jocks and the meddling girl, Loki realized something :

Doom and his group were not in the same classroom as him. None of them.

On the other hand, Thor and his apparently new friends were all together in the same classroom.

Just like in his old school, Thor was with his friends and Loki was alone.

"Bless my luck" Loki thought.

It could be worse, he reconsidered.

At least, he wasn't at the same same classroom as...

* * *

Hulk had made the choice of not going back to class.

And so did Tony.

The first one went to the football field, where he managed to find some peace for quite a while, until Couch Logan found him and made him return to his classroom. And for his own surprise and the couch's, Hulk did as he was told without any complain.

He didn't roared, he didn't got mad. He didn't even clunched his fists. Hulk just obeyed.

That behaviour was so uncommon that the couch sent Hulk to the nursery instead, and he wondered if Hulk's behaviour was real or just a real good piece of acting.

Considering Hulk was far from being the brightest brat on the school, the second option didn't seem very probable.

But in the end,Couch Logan ended up blaming it on whiskey.

Maybe he should stop drinking while he was in the school.

And that , was also not very probable.

* * *

There was a way to get to the school's rooftop without having to worry about getting caught. Tony had discovered it years ago ,along with Clint, in a day they didn't feel like dealing with Chemistry class.

The access was via an old and big tree right next to the building. One had to climb all the way to the top and then jump from the tree to the roof. It sounded simple, but it wasn't for cowards. The simplest miscalculation could result in a fall with terrible consequences.

The danger hadn't stop Tony from trying, as always.

It was Tony who had the idea, but Clint was the first one to gather enough courage to actually pull it off. Eventually, Tony managed to do it aswell.

The roof was the perfect spot for skiping classes. Nobody ever went there, as the entrance from inside the building was locked with key and the teachers didn't really have a reason to go there themselves.

And it was there where Tony was at that moment, smoking a cigarret and laying down on his back.

Just as Hulk, he hadn't felt like going back to class for the rest of the day.

Instead he stayed there in the roof, and eventually fell asleep.

When he woke up, the classes were already over.

The first day of school of that term had finally come to an end.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	11. A Good Oportunity

_**Disclaimer :All characters belong to Marvel.**_

_**Hey , it's me again. So as always, I want to thank everyone reading this fic and to electracait, JC Bolt,JakMar The DarkWarrior, Guest Halcyon Electric and Pergjithsme for their comments and suggestions! I'm taking them into account :D By the way, I'm sorry if the story is going a little slow, I hope it's not that much of a problem , but if it is, I apologize.**_

_**Now, Let's read!**_

* * *

They were there, all thanks to Thor.

And Loki didn't like it. In fact, he couldn't even say he found it even slightly entertaining.

At the same time, the dislike (or great indifference) he felt seemed to be mutual.

When Clint, Natasha and Steve departed from school, each said their goodbyes to Thor. And they all equally ignored Loki, giving him little to none attention, as if he wasn't there.

Not that Loki cared. Not even in the slightest.

They were Thor's _friends (_or at least Thor thought of them like that) ,after all, not his.

Loki knew that Doom and the rest of them wouldn't even bother to look at Thor ,had them been there instead of Steve and the others.

Though Doom wouldn't have any problem in ignoring Loki as well, and he was aware of that.

But then again, who cared ?

Not Loki, that was for sure...

"See you tomorrow, Loki."

Bruce appeared next to Loki just for a second, and he immediately continued on walking towards the school's entrance. Loki didn't even have enough time to reply.

And he cared about that, just a little. Not that he considered Banner to be his friend, but he had been the only one in the school so far who had proved himself not to be a total idiot . Hardly an achievement, but still.

"Hey , wasn't that Bruce ? He sure looked as if he was in a hurry..." said Thor, standing next to his brother, watching how Bruce disappeared into the distance "Probably he needs to answer the call of nature really bad."

"Or maybe he is scared. Of you." Loki stated, looking at his brother " And honestly, I wouldn't blame him."

"Of me? Haha! Don't be ridiculous, Loki. He has no reasons to be scared anymore. We already have set our differences apart! We even threw a party in honor of our new friendship! That was the best party of all the entire universe!"

"Thor, I think it's time for you to learn to tell apart between your dreams and reality." replied Loki "And you should also stop falling asleep in class .Specially in the first day of the term."

"But I didn't fall asleep...did I? Well, whatever, I'd choose a good sleep over a boring class any day." Said Thor, as he and Loki began to walk towards the school entrance. They would have to walk their way back home, since both their mother and father were too busy to pick them up.

"I'd like to see you say that once you end up living under a bridge." added Loki, smirking.

"Nah, bridges are too noisy. How about a roof instead? The roof of a tall building, maybe a skyscraper! Now ,that would be a good place to live." Said Thor, imagining each of his words on his mind. "Does it sound cool or what?"

"Sounds about right. " answered Loki. "For reckless morons, like you." He added under his breath.

"What?"

"I was just emphasizing how amazing that idea really is, brother." Said Loki.

"Oh! Thanks, Loki. Though I already knew that! Maybe I should even tell dad about it. He would love it!" Suggested Thor, raising his arms.

"Not even in your dreams ,Thor." reminded Loki to his big brother.

"I might as well try…."

"Yeah…good luck with that."

They had walked some distance from the school when a voice behind their backs made them stop.

"Are those the Odin Bros, walking down the street? With this sun? I guess you really are hardcore, guys!"

"Great, just what I needed…" muttered Loki, rolling his eyes as he recognized the voice . It was Tony Stark. "As if I hadn't had enough idiotic speeches for a day."

With the usual smirk on his lips and wearing the now not so useless sunglasses , Tony waved at the Odinsons brothers. Thor immediately returned the greeting, but Loki remained still. Though he was far of being amazed, he couldn't help but to put his attention on the car that was behind Stark's back.

It was not only a car. It was a limousine. Luxury, in good condition and certainly expensive.

Another good reason for Stark to show off. Even More.

"_Maybe some things don't know any limits…"_ thought Loki. _"Like Thor's stupidity, Stark's ego seems to be infinite."_

Loki dared to say it was at the same level as Doom's. And that alone was another good reason to be cautious.

But he wasn't surprised when Thor, as always, didn't pay attention to any of those facts and let himself to be amazed by Stark. Loki could somehow understand that Thor thought of Steve, Barton and Natasha as his new friends, but it did not matter how much he tried, he couldn't find a single reason for Thor thinking that of Stark. It made as much sense as Thor's assumption that Bruce was also his friend, despite Bruce's more than obvious fear of Thor.

Loki would let his big brother to assume all he wanted, but he was committed not to allow himself to make that same mistake. He had learned to never assume nothing, and he had already mastered that ability.

Or at least, that's was he liked to think.

* * *

He woke up by his own. The sun was hitting him directly on the face, leaving an itchy sensation on his skin. Tony waited a little for his senses to fully come back before proceeding in getting down the roof.

Getting down was always easier than getting all the way up there, and before he realized ,he was again in firm soil.

He yawned and looked at his watch. Judging by the hour, Tony knew that his friends would have already left, so he made no attempt in trying to find them. He also didn't bothered in going back to the classroom to get his backpack.

Steve or Clint would probably had taken it with them, and they would give it back tomorrow. Or maybe it was still in the classroom. Or maybe it was in the dumpster, being eaten by rats.

In any case, Tony couldn't care less, so he did the best thing one could do when there was no care involved: he shrugged it off and moved on.

By the time he was at the school's entrance, most of his classmate had already left, and he could only think in doing the same . And for his good luck, his limousine had already arrived.

"Goodbye, prison. I'll see you tomorrow, and in my nightmares." he said with happiness, walking towards his vehicle.

Tony did not often make use of his limo for such trivial occasions as being picked up from school on ordinary days. The only exceptions he made were the first and last day of the term. And occasionally, on his birthday.

Some of his classmates had asked him why he did that.

"Simple" would answer Tony on every occasion "Because I can. What other reason do I need?"

Just as he arrived to the limo, his butler Jarvis , who also played as his personal driver , was already next to the door, which he had opened for Tony.

"You seem to be happy, sir. Had a good first day ?" asked the butler to Tony, as he entered the limo.

"Of course. My favorite part was when I feel asleep on the roof as the sun cooked my skin while the others died of boredom in class." Answered Tony.

"I see, sir" replied Jarvis, closing the limo's door "Business as usual."

"You know it, Jarvis."

Once the butler was again in the driving sit, he tried to start the limo while Tony lit up a cigar.

"Sir, is that truly necessary?" asked Jarvis, making all the windows on the limo to go down. "Not that I don't like the feeling of nicotine getting inside my eyes as I drive, but I'm sure you could wait until we get home before you start smoking."

"Come one Jarvis, don't be so dramatic! And you perfectly know that I can't smoke at home, unless I want my old man to put a cigar mark on my forehead."

"That would be a quite non -attractive mark , sir. I'm sure young miss Pepper wouldn't like it at all. Only a few girls would ,to be honest. "

"How about we save the cupid advices for San Valentine or some cheeky shit like that and for now, we just go home? And turn on the air conditioner. Starts to feel like a sauna in here." Ordered Tony, breathing out some of the smoke and cleaning his forehead's sweat with his hand.

"I'd do it happily, sir. But I'm afraid that since your last attempt to 'upgrade' the limousine , the air conditioner doesn't work at all "informed Jarvis "Don't worry, sir. I'm sure you'll get it right next time."

"Of course I will" assured Tony with security, acting as if the sole doubt of his abilities was a ridiculous thought "And if I don't, I won't call myself Tony Stark anymore."

"I guess I'll have to get used to your new name then, sir. Have you thought in one yet?"

"Your wit always makes my day better, Jarvis..." said Tony with sarcasm.

"I try, sir , I try. Just as I try to start this bloody limousine…"

"Hey, watch that mouth, Jarvis. Damn, now I see who I learned my abundant vocabulary from!" said Tony, hoping that Jarvis could start the limo soon.

"Thank you sir, I'll take that as a compliment." answered Jarvis. It took a couple of tries more before he could finally manage to make the limo work. He sighed, feeling a little tired, mainly due the sun that hit him directly in the face. But as usual, he didn't complain. The last thing he wanted was that Tony started to think he was getting too old for the job.

He already had Howard Stark to worry about, and that was certainly more than enough.

"Hey Jarvis, probably you would like to put these on before you start driving." Said Tony, who had approached the butler to gave him his sunglasses " I don't want to end up in the hospital and have the limo crashed just because the sun blinded your eyes in he middle of the road. What a waste it would be… They don't make limos like this one anymore."

Jarvis smiled and accepted Tony's sunglasses and put them on. Tony maybe still needed to improve his limo's upgrading skills, but he sure knew how solve small problems with practical solutions.

With the limo working again, the waiting came to an end and the journey back home finally began for Tony. Feeling the wind against his face was just what he needed to finally feel great once again. To kill off some time, he started to tell Jarvis about his day, in a more detailed way than before. From time to time, the butler would let a out a soft laugh or ask a question not free of his subtle sarcasm, which Tony would answer with his not-so-subtle sarcasm.

"I tell you, Jarvis. Those loony brothers are definitely the strangest thing that has happened to the school since the day silver -head started to hang out with Victor Doomoron."

"With all respect, sir, I know you are not very fond on the Doom lad , but a good established friendship with him today could lead to a great benefit for the Stark Industries in the future. I'm sure your father has had the same thought before..." Suggested Jarvis, But Tony instantly showed his great dislike for the idea.

"Never. And not just never..." said Tony, with a far more serious voice than usual "I mean_ fucking_ never."

"Point taken ,sir. I won't mention it again." accepted Jarvis, changing the subject rigth away "What were you sayin about some loony brothers?"

"They are just a couple of weirdos. If there was a third, one could confuse them with the three stooges. One of them beat the living hell out of Bruce, and the other got the living hell out beaten out of him by Hulk. I wonder if it is a brother's thing..." said Tony "Oh well, seems like the Odinsons and the Banners will have to learn to co-exist with each other. That is if they don't end up killing each other first , specially Thor and Hulk."

Jarvis frowned. Had he heard correctly, or was it time to get his audition corrector fixed again?

"Exuse me sir, but did you just say Odinson?" he asked.

"Yeah." affirmed Tony, a little confused " Why do you ask, Jarvis? I know ' Odinson' is one ridiculous surname, but it's nothing special."

"Nothing special?" repeated Jarvis, suddenly stopping the limo. He look at Tony, who seemed to be disconcerted by his behaviour. "Sir, what would you do if I told you that those Loony Odinsons you love to make fun of are actually the sons of a powerful entrepreneur that has just moved to this city?"

"I'd say that you are a complete idiot and that you are kidding me." answered Tony, in awe. Jarvis was just pulling his leg. There was no way Thor and Loki... The idiot and the worm...

"And what If I wasn't joking?" Inquired Jarvis, quite seriously.

"Then the only idiot here " answered Tony " Would be me."

But it was just so hard to believe. If they truly were the sons of such an important person, then why didn't they make any mention about it? Were they really that humble?

_"Or maybe it was because Loki was too busy being beaten by Hulk, while Thor was more focused in wondering what was for lunch"_ thought Tony. And despite it sounded ridiculous, it also sounded strangely fitting._ " Only you .Odin Bros, only you..."_

"My father should have told me about this " said Tony with resentment "He'd knew for sure..."

"I'm sure he didn't try to upset you ,sir..." said Jarvis with soft voice "He is indeed a busy man, and probably he just forgot..."

"Oh, I'm sure he did." replied Tony with cinism "And just like couch Logan would say, I'd blame his bad memory on whiskey."

Jarvis remained silent, and waited for Tony to calm down. It happened quickly enough, and in matter of seconds, Tony recovered his usual attitude.

He threw the cigar, now fully consumed,out of the limo.

"Well then, Jarvis . I guess that it is time." he said, and then ordered him to start driving again.

"Time for what, sir?" asked the butler, following Tony's orders.

"To establish a friendship that could lead to a great benefit for the Stark Industries in the future. Just like you said, Jarvis. And I'm about to follow your advice." said Tony, his eyes shining with determination.

Jarvis wondered how wise his advice truly was. In any case, he did as Tony said.

After a few minutes of driving and following Tony's directions, Jarvis and Tony succeded :

They found Loki and Thor , as they were walking back home.

"Are they the Odinsons?" asked Jarvis.

"You are correct, Jarvis" said Tony "Stop the limo,and I know you have grown fond of them,but I'm gonna have to ask you to give me back my sunglasses."

"What easy comes,easy goes." Said Jarvis. He saw how Tony got out of the limo, wearing his sunglasses once again. " Sir, are you really sure this is a good idea?"

"It isn't" said Tony "But it certainly is a great opportunity."

The next thing Jarvis heard was Tony's voice , so loud it was techinically a shout, and how it inmediatly caught the attention of the Odinsons Brothers.

It would be a more difficult way back home than he had thought...

* * *

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	12. Heirs

**_HEY EVERYONE! I'm really sorry for the delay. I had lots of things to take care of (real life be trollin), and also some writer's block. So I thank you kindly for your patience and for reading the fic :D_**

**_I also thank to Morgan, Llama-Ninja 24101,no-my name's anonymous and JakMarTheDarkwarrior for commenting in the last chapters. I'm taking all your suggestions into account ;)_**

* * *

_"It's funny"_ Loki thought, feeling the cool breeze against his face _"This isn't as bad as I'd expected."_

It was unbelievable, but his initial denial had transformed into some kind of bitter relief. Accepting the lift from Stark still seemed like a bad idea, but strangely, Loki didn't regret doing it. The walk back home under that insatiable sun would have been much worse than tolerating the annoying presence of that Stark guy.

Though Loki still was far from liking him in the least. The memory of how Tony had cheered for Hulk, and how he had also incited that mindless brute to keep punching him, was still fresh on his mind. He doubted he would appreciate Stark more if he had tried to help him instead of mocking him, but at the very least, Loki would have maintained a neutral opinion of him.

_"As neutral as someone can be towards a show-off, of course."  
_

On the other hand, Loki appreciated the fact that Stark appeared to be far more interested in Thor than in him, as he was ignoring the younger brother almost completely. Loki couldn't blame him, since it was in the nature of idiots to socialize only with other idiots.

The only one who seemed to remember that Loki was still there was the driver of the limousine. Judging by his outfit, Loki could tell he was not only the driver, but also Stark's butler.

Tony had mentionated the butler's name a couple of times , but Loki couldn't remember it all. There were a few things in his life worth remembering, but a common butler's name definitely wasn't one of them. Once the annoying servant realized Loki had no intention of answering in any way that wasn't nodding absent -mindedly, he had returned his full attention to driving.

Loki smiled triumphantly. That was all right , since he had no real interest in talking at that moment.

All he really wanted was to get home and relax a bit. He would also check his bruises and put a little ointment to hide them in case they had become visible again, to assure his parents wouldn't notice them .

He knew he had to avoid at all costs that his mother, and especially his father, discovered he had been beaten on his first day in his new school.

Loki could tolerate and even understand the look of worry he would get from his mother. But… just thinking in the cold and deep gaze he would receive from his father's sky blue eyes…

The image of those two eyes filled with disappointment and concern alike had been the main (and maybe only ) reason why Loki had accepted the lift home Stark had offered him and Thor, but Loki didn't realize that until that precise moment , as the wind caressed his face.

_"It's funny. In a way, I'm in Stark's limo thanks to Hulk. _"Loki thought.

It was funny.

But it would be even funnier when he made Hulk pay for all he had caused and done to him.

Because if something was known, was this: if someone messed with Loki Odinson, there would always be consequences to pay.

And the price was steep.

* * *

Tony realized that Thor was more likeable than he had first imagined. Sometimes, his impetus to control the conversation, and the seemingly lack of ability to know when to shut up,could be a little frustrating, but it wasn't something Tony couldn't tolerate. Especially if he took into account he was talking to a potential and almost guaranteed future entrepreneur partner.

To be honest, Tony felt relieved that the heir resulted to be Thor and not Loki, since it was more than obvious that the younger boy didn't liked him very much.

Tony had no idea what he could have said or done to make that grumpy dwarf despise so much and so fast. But who the hell cared? Loki was the younger brother, and Tony knew that meant he would never get to have much importance in the company of his father, or at least as much Thor (surely being the rightful heir) would. It was just how things worked in the world of business.

_'We act as if we were kings and queens.' _Tony thought, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Moreover, that idea of monarchy and power had fascinated him since ever, not to mention that it made it easier for him to know which Odinson brother he had to win and which one he could completely ignore.

Meanwhile, Thor kept talking and talking. Tony listened only small snippets of the conversation, which had apparently changed from being focused on cars and girls to Thor's old friends, and how was it like back in the old city he lived in. Tony kept nodding and smiling, but he wasn't paying much attention. His mind was numb, still unable to even believe how lucky he was.

_'I have almost secured an aliasing with the Odinson's company in just fifteen minutes of conversation, when you have tried for years and fail every single time. Who is the inept now, dad?'_

Maybe Howard Stark would never openly acknowledged the victory that his son had just had over him, , but for Tony, just knowing that he had proved to be a worthy heir filled him with unspeakable satisfaction. That, and the idea he had proved his father wrong, of course.

Time went by quickly, and before Tony realized, they had arrived to the Odinson residence.

"Well, here we are. It's real shame that our house has to be so close to school ..." Thor sighed, watching his house through the window.

"Do not be sad, Thor. C'mon, you'll see me and the rest of the guys at school tomorrow." Tony comforted him.

"Thanks for the warning, Stark. I'll start preparing myself psychologically." Loki said sarcastically. Tony let the comment pass by.

"Oh, yes of course, my friends ... I'm glad. But ..." Thor continued, looking at the limo with mixture of nostalgia and joy. "I will miss this limo so much. It's just so cool."

Tony then realized it was the limo, and not exactly him or the rest of his friends, what Thor would really miss. He would have felt a little offended by this if it hadn't turned out to be another great opportunity to strengthen his new friendship with Thor.

"Well, since you seem to be so fond of the limo already, how about if tomorrow you give the school bus a big middle finger and instead ,get to school in nothing less than in this beauty?" Tony suggested his most convincing smile. "I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. What do you say?"

Thor's eyes gleamed with joy.

"YES! That's what I'm talking about!" he cheered "We could also show it to the school's chicks. Chicks dig limos."

"Words of wisdom indeed, Thor." colaborated Tony.

"They may dig limos, but they don't dig idiots." Whispered Loki.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The two brothers proceeded to gout out of the limo.

"See ya tomorrow, Thor" said Tony "And bye to you too, Luke."

"It's Loki!"

"Whatever…"

"Goodbye limo, I mean Anthony and the guy driving the limo." said Thor.

"His name is Jarivs" corrected Tony,

"Whatever." replied Loki with a smirk.

Tony looked at him defiantly, but managed to keep his mouth shut again, much to his own surprise. He gave a quick glance to the Odinson's house before ordering Jarvis to start driving again.

Honestly, he felt a little bit disappointed by it. It was more luxurious than the average house, but Tony couldn't find anything special about it. At best, it was mediocre and boring. Not that he thought those were bad qualities in a house, but he had expected much more coming from a family who had such a notorious influence in the world of business.

Maybe it was more beautiful on the inside, he thought.

…Oh well, he was still disappointed.

"Let's go home, Jarv. We've wasted enough time." He said, lighting up another cigarette.

"I agree with you on that, sir "answered the butler "But look at the bright side : I think you've earned two new friends this day. May I offer you my condolences?"

"How about you offer me your silence and just drive, sassy English butler?"

"Fair enough, smoker young sir." Said Jarvis.

On the way back home, Tony remained just as silent as Jarvis. He had to order his ideas and his thoughts quickly.

He was decided to talk with his father as soon as he arrived home. Tony couldn't wait to see the look of his father's eyes once he told him about the Odinsons and his plan.

That sole thought was even sweeter than the cigar on his lips .

* * *

"You know what, Loki?"

"No, and I don't what to know."

"I think I should go to bed right now ,so I can wake up sooner and get another a ride in that limo!"

"Thor, that's …. Actually, that's not a such a bad idea at all."

"Nah, I changed my mind. I think I'll go and explore the city a bit"

"Wait ,what?" said Loki , looking at his brother with confusion "You were talking about going to sleep two seconds ago, but now you want to explore the city, just like that?"

Thor meditated that answer for a few seconds before answering: "Uhm, yeah."

He didn't understand what was surprising about it. He'd had an idea that was replaced by an even more interesting idea almost instantly. What was so weird about that?

"Wanna come with me, little brother? We could go looking for a comic store, an arcade local, or even go to the park! We'll have lots of fun, for sure." Suggested Thor. He became impatient just by thinking of all the new places he had to discover and the little time he had to do so.

"I don't read comics, I hate arcades and why would I even want to go to the park? We are not five years anymore." said Loki, crossing his arms.

"Are you kidding? The parks are the best place in every city, with no exception." He said.

"Parks are just a big compilation of old people feeding birds, screaming children and dog shit. If there's anything great about that, I fail to see it." Explained Loki, causing Thor's jaw to drop.

"No ,no, little brother! You are missing the point completely! " Thor exclaimed. " The chicks, Loki, the chicks! That's what make parks awesome. Especially if they are jogging."

Thor almost laughed at the face Loki made that instant. His little brother was still so naïve.

"Can't you think of anything else besides food and girls, brother? I mean seriously, for once, you should focus on doing something useful with your life! "Loki snared, blushing a little bit.

"Like what? Reading books and doing my homework?" Asked Thor, somewhat angry by Loki's insinuation.

"Precisely" said Loki "Or tiding up your room, at least. There must be rats under your bed."

"You are not mom, you can't tell me what I should or not do." Thor buffed and frowned, becoming increasingly annoyed by his brother. "I just want to have some fun after a long day at school, is that a crime?"

"No, but the way you are acting definitely should be. "Determined Loki, being far from impressed by Thor's antic.

That was the last straw. Thor wouldn't take any more of that crap. The day was still young and he had a brand new city to explore, and he would, whether Loki would join him or not.

It was then when he missed his old friends like he never had done before.

Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun and Sif. Their laughs, their jokes, their company…. He would have given anything to able to see them.

He loved Loki and genuinely enjoyed being with him, but… Loki, at times, could be unreasonable strict, and therefore, Thor became a little bored when he was with him and behaved that way .He sometimes wished Loki would relax and stop worrying so much.

But after seeing that day wasn't going to be the one Loki would finally cool down, Thor decided to just go to the town by himself. He dropped his school bag and walked away on the sidewalk ,turning his back on Loki.

"I can't believe this. "Muttered Loki with disapproving voice. "But hey, if you really want to act like an immature kid, then be my guest. I don't know why I worry anyways, since you are the one who will get into trouble, not me. Good luck explaining dad once he asks you where the hell you had been, Thor."

"Oh, I'm shivering with fear! "replied Thor, stopping for a moment right in front of the neighbor's garage and turning around to see his brother. "Goodbye brother, I'll bring you a girl's phone number so I can show you how much fun I had while you were here at home ,reading and dying of boredom like…like a loser! You'll see!"

"Yeah , keep trying to pretend you are not an idiot!" shouted Loki.

"Shut up, Loki!" growled back Thor.

He didn't know why he was shouting as his little brother, or why he was so angry. The memory of his old friends came back to his mind, causing him only to become even madder.

"No, you shut up!"

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!"

"NO, YOU – THOR, WATCH OUT!"

That was the last thing Thor heard before the impact. He felt how his breath abandoned his body, and then he was just lying on the floor. It was hot and it smelled of dirt and grass. He had fallen very quickly, or very slowly. He was able to take a quick glance of the car that had hit him and the blue sky above him, before he passed out. Falling into unconsciousness, he realized , was not very different from falling asleep.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading!_**


	13. Business conversations

_**Thanks to all the readers and no-MY name's Anonymous, Morgan, Guest and Cow Guy for reviewing the last chapter.**_  
_**Hope you like this new chapter!**_

* * *

Howard Stark glimpsed at Tony when he walked into his office, but he inmediatly returned his attention to the papers he was reading.

The office where his father spent most of his time, when he was at home, had an atmosphere that Tony had never really liked.

Stressing, cold and distant…

He could have used those same words to describe his father.

"I'm busy, Tony. Whatever it is, it can wait." Howard said to his son.

_'It can, but it won't.' _ Tony thought, knowing his father had given him an order, not an option.

Well, if that was the case, then Tony knew how to play that game…

"Yes, I had a good day. Thanks for asking." Tony replied, faking a smile as he approached his father. He stopped right in front of his desk and sat down. "I'd ask you how your day was, but that happy, nonexistent smile in your lips and that friendly frown says it all."

Howard gave no signs of hearing his son other than slowly shaking his head in annoyance.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear the first time, so I'll say it again." He said, finally done reading the paper and signing it. "I have better things to take of other than your childish sarcasm. So whatever you want to talk about, it can wait. And if it can't, then I'm sure it's nothing worth listening. Go and do your homework, or something productive. We'll talk later."

"Of course we will." Tony said, folding his arms and lifting his head to show confidence."But not later, we'll talk right now. After all, aren't you always the one saying that business matters can't be postponed?"

Howard laughed, taking Tony by surprise. It was the kind of laugh someone makes when hearing a person that has said something unbelievably stupid.

"Now, what can you possibly know about business, Tony?" His father sneered, his voice free of malice but not of mockery. "Ignorant, arrogant boy. Though I must say, I find your confidence mildly impressive. But confidence without thinking is useless, so don't take my words as a compliment."

"I never do." Tony felt how his ears were starting to become red from both embarrassment and anger. "The same way you have always failed in which I have just succeeded."

Howard's smile was replaced with a confused look. Now, it was Tony's time to smile, and he would enjoy every second of his victory.

"Are you making fun of me, Tony?" Howard asked, becoming defensive.

"Of course not. I would never." Tony said, acting a little offended by insinuation. "I'm just telling you the facts, that's all."

Without adding anything else, Tony got up and yawned.

"You know, I'm feeling kinda tired. First days of school are never easy. Maybe you are right. We should talk later. See ya, Howard. I hope you have fun reading and signing those thrilling papers."

Tony hadn't even reached the door when his father ordered him to stop. He smiled, happy to see how well his father had swallowed the bait. Now that he had Howard's curiosity, Tony knew he would listen to him with real attention.

"What a surprise." Howard sighed, folding his arms the same way Tony had done before "You might have something to say worth listening this time, son. Well, start talking. I'm listening."

Tony turned around to face his father. He stood firm ,and explained to Howard everything about the Odinsons. He left the insignificant details of the story out, since they would waste time, and time wasn't something he could give away so easily. He had no way of knowing how much his father's attention would last.

It took him around five minutes to explain it all. Tony hoped he hadn't forgotten to say anything important. Once he was over, his father looked at him with a blank stare. He didn't look surprised or shocked, or even annoyed in the least, either.

That wasn't a good sign.

An awkward silence followed, and Tony found himself without any idea of what to say or what to do. Since that rarely happened, he didn't know how to react.

"I see." Howard Stark said, breaking the silence. Tony felt relieved for a moment, but that relief transformed into anxiety when his father asked him. "But how are you so sure?"

"Sure of what?" Tony asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"About that boy, the one you plan to befriend." His father said, shrugging as if his question had been very obvious. "How are you so sure he will be the heir of the company? Did he actually mention that to you, or is this just a supposition of yours?"

"He- maybe he never … I just thought that…But I'm sure …" Tony stuttered, and he hated himself for that. He realized how poorly his answer was sounding, but it was too late to fix his mistake. His father made sure of that.

"What? Is your sharp wit gone? I can't blame you. If I had made such an idiotic conclusion like yours, I'd be feeling like a fool too. You still know so little about these things." His father declared, while cleaning his glasses with his shirt. The sole image of that arrogant moron that was his father made Tony sick.

"You talk as if I had just caused us to go bankrupt!" Tony hissed, trying to hide his disappointment."And I'm sorry, but do I need to remind you that I have taken us a step closer to a potential and rather powerful associate? Yeah, you're welcome!"

"A tantrum. Really,Tony? You are not five years anymore, you are fifteen!" Howard said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm seventeen!" Tony corrected.

"...That's even worse." His father growled. "I mean, what do you want me to do? You want me to congratulate you and put a star on your forehead for your half-thought plan? If that's it, then fine. Good work, son. You did an excellent job in forming an imaginary alliance with a company that has shown no signs of being interested in forming one with the Stark company since ever. Well done, Tony. Well done indeed!"

His father's words sounded unnecessary cruel. If he had been weaker, then Tony would have been hurt by them.

Good thing he had learned how to act strong. He clinched his teeth, and looked down at the floor.

Howard sighed, and with much calmer voice, he said:

"Listen, Tony. Its fine you want to take the initiative to form an alliance. I'm just saying that you might be befriending the wrong person. You have no way of guaranteeing he will be the heir and not his brother. I know that, by tradition, the first born is the legitimate heir. But times are changing, and the companies are starting to being passed to the most capable child, not the first born. Granted, not many of us do it that way yet, but who knows how will Odin proceed?"

"The same way you would." Tony muttered, strongly enough for his father to hear him. "But tell me something. Am I the heir just because I'm your first born, or because you think I'm truly capable, father?"

Howard closed his eyes and bowed his head

"You are my only son."

Tony didn't answer back. He just left the office and closed the door without looking back at his father. He was determined to achieve his goal with the Odinsons, and he would do it for him.

Not for his father. Not anymore.

* * *

Was he bleeding? He put a hand under Thor's head.

His fingers became wet with his brother's crimson blood.

_'No,no…'_

Loki tried to control his thoughts, but it was like trying to calm down a hive full of angered wasps. He knew what he had to do, but he forgot it when he tried to remember it. His body wasn't helping either.

All he could do was kneel next to his brother ,while trying to wake him up with his screams.

"THOR, CAN YOU HEAR ME? PLEASE, BROTHER. ANSWER ME!"

Loki was so confused he didn't even notice the two girls that had descended from the car.

"Holy sh-He is not death, is he? I don't want to go to jail. Not yet, at least!

"Shut up, Darcy!"

A brown haired girl, a little older than him, quickly knelt by Thor's right side, directly facing Loki. It took a while for him to realize she was responsible for all this.

"I'm so sorry!" She said. She was pale, her hands shaking and her eyes fully open. Loki wondered if he looked as pathetic as her. "I didn't see him. I was in a hurry, and he suddenly…Oh god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to…!"

"WOAH! Jane,that's definitely gonna leave a mark!"

The other girl, this one with black hair and wearing glasses, stood next to Loki. Unlike her friend, she didn't seem to be too scared. At the very much, she was a little nervous. Loki looked at her with disdain.

She wouldn't be acting so cool if it was her brother bleeding to death on the floor that instant. Surprisingly, that anger helped him calm down and re-organize his thoughts. He didn't calm down completely, but his mind was again under his control.

The girl in front of him,whom he had heard was named Jane, was still muttering her useless apologies.

"Shut up!" Loki growled at her. Jane gasped, as if someone had slapped her. "If you are really sorry, then stop acting like an idiot and call an ambulance!"

"Ambulance…" Jane repeated. She came back to her senses, and though she was still shaking, Loki was relieved to see that she at least trying to do something mildly useful. "Right…right!"

When she was about to take out her phone, she suddenly stopped. Instead, she placed a hand on Thor's forehead and another one on his nape. Her hand came in contact with Loki's, but neither of them seemed to care. Then, she started to gently lift Thor's head from the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Loki exclaimed, shocked by the way Jane was treating his brother. Thor surely had a bad injury already, and that idiot would only make it worse. "Stop it! You want to kill him or what?!"

"Hey, relax." The other girl said, Marcy. Or Darcy, or whatever her name was, as she placed a hand on Loki's shoulder. "Jane knows what she is doing. She was studying to become a nurse before finally coming back to her senses and realize it was a waste of time."

"Don't touch me." Loki growled back at her. Who did she think she was? Talking to him as if they were friends…

"Oh, pardon me, sir. Gee, did someone piss in your coffee this morning or something?"

"Darcy, that's enough!" Jane interrupted. She looked at Loki, her eyes lacking the panic from before "You don't have to worry; he is going to be okay. It's just a small injury..."

"Just a small injury?" Loki couldn't decide if he was furious or worried. Maybe he was both. "You cowardly liar. My brother is bleeding like a pig, and you dare to say it's just a small…!"

"Head injuries always bleed a lot." Jane said. She took Loki's hand and placed it right where Thor's injury was. "See? It's nothing serious. The skull's not broken. Also, look at the color of his face. If your brother were really _'bleeding to death' _he would be looking a lot paler. I promise you, he is going to be all right."

"Those words don't mean much coming from a drop out nurse." Loki hissed, not really listening to Jane's explanations.

"If you really want to, we can call an ambulance. " Jane said, with cold voice. "We can make a big deal out this accident, or we can solve it here, in peace. However, I will accept my responsibility and do whatever you choose. It's your brother who is just hit with my car, after all."

"Jane, what are you saying? Don't listen to her; she is just talking nonsense due the shock. Right ,Jane?" added Darcy, highly afraid that Loki would choose to take Thor to the hospital.

It was strange that now that those options were officially given to him by someone else, Loki found it more difficult to choose what he should do. Or rather, what he was supposed to do.

A part of him told him the more prudent thing to do was to take Thor to the hospital. On the other hand, another voice inside him insisted that it was a terrible idea. Loki had to consider both options.

If he chose the hospital, then he would assure Thor was one hundred per cent safe. But it also meant his parent would have to find out. It would not only bring great worry to his mother ,it would also cause questions from his father.

_What happened, Loki?_

_Where were you, Loki?_

_What did you do ,Loki?  
_

And Loki had no desire of facing those questions at all. Not that day. He was too tired, and his own injuries he had received from Hulk were starting to hurt again.

"I may be crazy, but I will trust you this time." He said, looking at Thor and then at Jane. If it wasn't for the blood on his hair, his brother would look as if he was pleasantly asleep "But I swear, if anything happens to my brother, you will pay for it."

Jane bit her lip. She and Darcy shared a quick glance. Loki didn't bother in looking at what expression Darcy had on her face.

"Fair enough." Jane accepted. "Now, lets get,-ehh."

"Thor."

"Right. Let's get Thor inside my house so I can cure him. Darcy, help us out."

"You know, when I woke up this morning, the last thing I thought I would end up doing this day was carrying an unconscious blond guy into your house. Life has many funny twists, don't you think? Ain't it a bitch." Darcy said, as she grabbed one of Thor's legs and lifted it up. Jane carried the other, while Loki carried Thor by his arms.

And in that moment, he felt more exhausted than ever. All he could think was Thor and his parents.

_'You have to wake up, Thor.'_ Loki thought, looking at the street '_You have to. Before mom and dad come back home._'

He didn't notice when Thor opened his eyes. It was just for a second, but it was enough for him to wonder who was that chick carrying him by his leg.

With a small smile on his lips ,he fell unconscious again.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading**_


	14. Behind the Doors

**_Disclaimer :All Characters belong to Marvel._**

**_I thank Morgan, Guest and Murilega Banner for their comments and feedback._ _Thanks a lot for helping me to improve._**

* * *

He was upgrading his cell phone, but not really.

Tony had no idea what he was doing. His mind was lost in his thoughts, leaving his hands to act on mere impulse and instinct. He wouldn't be surprised if his cell phone ended up totally garbled. But he had needed an excuse to be left alone.

He had locked the door of his room in case his father came and tried to apologize to him for being a total ass.

Tony would ignore him at first, of course, but he would also appreciate the gesture. And maybe, he would forgive his father a little.

Just a tiny bit.

Tony knew that was never going to happen.

"Well, why would we want to break such a lovely tradition ,anyways?" Tony laughed, finally desisting with his distracted attempts to upgrade his cell phone. He put it down on his desk, and then put his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

He had a lot of planning to do if he wanted his friendship with Thor to succeed, and he couldn't allow his father's words to distract him.

Now that he thought about it, telling his father about his plan had been a stupid idea. What the hell was he thinking?

Tony closed his eyes, trying to concentrate and think about how he should proceed while ignoring his regrets, but it was then he realized his thoughts were a complete mess.

More of a mess than his room, and that was saying a lot.

They were like a bizarre mix of memories and feelings ,with his father's voice as soundtrack. He frowned and pressed the bridge of his nose. He was starting to have a mild headache.

"I'm too tired for this shit." Tony sighed, laying down on his bed "Tomorrow will be a new day. For now, I'll let the pillow be my wise advisor."

The fact that the afternoon was still relatively young didn't bother him at all. Talking with his father always left him exhausted. Tony could only wish Howard was as upset and tired as him. Then, maybe their discussion wouldn't have been so pointless after all. For Tony, at least.

When he was about to fall asleep, someone knocked at the door. Tony inmediatly opened his eyes and got up. His heart was racing in his chest. For his own surprise,he was smiling.

Had his father really come to apologize? If that was the case, then Tony would take advantage from every second of his victory.

"What is it ,Howie? Finally removed that stick from your butt?" Tony asked mockingly, tyring to sound indifferent but proud."Well, it sure took you a few years. Seventeen, actually. Must be a new record."

The man behind the door cleared his throat, sounding somewhat offended.

"I'm sorry ,sir, but I'm afraid that record won't be broken by me anytime soon. I can assure you that my butt is, and will always be, stick-free"

Tony's smiled faded as soon as it had appeared.

"Oh, it's just you, Jarvis..." Tony sighed, feeling a little disappointed.

"Indeed, it's just me, Jarvis." The butler replied."I have a message for you from your father. Mister Howard Stark says he won't be having dinner with you. It seems he had to attend an important meeting-"

"Finally, some good news!" exclaimed Tony. "Now, if that's all, go away,Jarvis. I'm busy trying to..."

"To fall asleep and trying to organize your thoughts?" Jarvis completed. "Yes, that's certainly sounds like a priority, sir."

Tony grunted, and opened the door to face the butler.

"Really, Jarvis. Sometimes, I think you can read my mind." Tony said "Or am I really that predictable?"

"Neither. It's just that you always react the same way after discussing with your father ,sir." Jarvis explained "I think it's natural for me to notice that, after working for your family for so many years, even before you were born."

Tony frowned and folded his arms.

"So you were listening, uh?" he asked seriously.

"Not intentionally, sir. But yes... I'm afraid I heard it all." Jarvis confessed."I'm sorry."

Tony looked down at the floor and sighed, unfolding his arms.

"Nah, it's ok. It's not your fault. I bet my father's screams can be heard ten miles away from here. One of these days, he'll end up leaving me deaf."

Tony tried to laugh it off, but Jarvis could see through the façade.

"Sir," Jarvis said with paternal voice, placing a hand in Tony's shoulder "I know your father can be …difficult to deal with at times. I know he would agree with me if he could hear to what I'm saying right now. And he would also fire me."

"Bah, you talk as if you knew how is to deal with him the way I do." Tony snarled.

"Maybe not, but I do know that just because he doesn't understand your ideas it means they are wrong or stupid. You are a brilliant lad,sir, so don't ever think of it that way. However, it doesn't mean you are completely right either. Your father has enough experience to know what he is talking about, but he needs to open his mind a little more. And you are the other way around, young sir. But don't worry, experience will come to you in many ways as you live, be sure of it. The constant discussions with your father are the perfect example. You have all the right to be angered and confused by them, but you also have the obligation to learn from them. Complement your own knowledge with his and take advantage from it. Sounds like better way to react rather than locking yourself inside your room while you _'upgrade'_ your cell phone, don't you agree, sir?"

Tony widely opened his eyes. He thought of what Jarvis had said in silence. His pride didn't repel the words as it usually did when they came from his father's mouth. He also started to feel less angry and upset. He looked at his butler and smiled.

"Thanks, Jarvis." Tony said, genuinely. "I feel better now."

"On the contrary, sir. Thank you for listening to what this butler has to say."

"Oh, come on, I always listen to my friends." Tony said "But seriously, you should write a book or something. _'The wisdom of the Butler'_…yeah, definitely would be a best seller."

"I doubt anything with that name would sell at all, sir. But anyways, dinner will be ready soon. You should probably-"

"Sorry Jarvis, but dinner will have to wait. Your words have given me a lot to think about , and an incredible idea too. I need to call Bruce right now! Thanks again, Jarvis!"

"But sir…!"

Too late.

Tony was already gone. Jarvis stood in the same place for a while.

"Maybe….I should have kept my wisdom to myself." Jarvis muttered, and he could only guess how Tony had interpreted his advice. He sighed."Teenagers these days…"

* * *

Bruce thought his heart would drill its way out of his chest when he heard the phone ringing. He picked it up and waited in silence for a few seconds before answering.

He heard nothing and sighed in relief.

Bruce didn't want to imagine what would have happened if the ringing had woken Hulk up. He would probably be dead by now.

"Hello?"

_"Hey there,Brucie! Say, you really answered quickly. Look, I know you miss me whenever you don't see me, but you really don't have to wait all day next to the phone for my call…"_

"Shut up, Tony. You almost got me into trouble. Remember I told you and the others that you can't call at this hour. Hulk naps everyday at this exact time, and if he wakes up… I don't really want to think about what he would do."

_"Oh, right. I'm sorry,it totally slipped my mind. But seriously, shouldn't your brother be in a place that goes better with him? I don't know, like college, or jail."_

Bruce chuckled a little.

"Ha ha, really funny, Tony."

_"You know it. But I digress. Listen Bruce, I need you to come to my place right now. I need to talk with you about something urgent . And no, it's not about my 'flying –limo' idea. Just because you didn't understand it … and because it didn't work, means it was stupid, ok?"_

"Going to your house, now?" Bruce asked, confused. "I don't think I can, Tony. I could get into trouble if I'm out for too late. And I'm my family, late can be translated as 9 o'clock . But we can talk about whatever you want here on the phone. I'll listen."

_"Come one, Bruce! You are starting to sound like Steve. Remember: You Only Live…"_

"I swear I will hang up if you finish that phrase."

_"Ok, whatever. But I'm serious, Bruce. I really need to talk to you in person. Please, my friend. I really need your help."_

Bruce scratched his head. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"Talk about what,exactly?" he asked.

"Lots of things." Tony answered mysteriously, much to Bruce annoyance. "But mainly about Thor."

"THOR?!" Bruce exclaimed. Too late he realized of his mistake. He covered his mouth with his left hand.

He could hear Hulk's awakening growl. Soon, the echo of his steps reached Bruce's ears.

_"Bruce? Bruce? Can you hear me? Bruce?! Damn, stupid and useless phone connection…!"_

Bruce remembered Tony was still on the line.

"I'll be in your house in 20 minutes. " He said, almost starting to stutter.

_"What? Hey , you are still there! For a moment, I thought you had-"_

Bruce hung up that instant.

Without a second thought, Bruce ran at the entrance of the house. He tried to open it, but it was locked. He cursed whoever who had locked it, until he remembered it had been him.

"Hurry, hurry…!" he muttered as he searched for the key in his pockets.

He found it at the same moment Hulk started to walk down the stairs. Bruce could hear him, but he didn't dare to look . He was so nervous that the key almost slipped from his hands. Bruce managed to get hold of it only by miracle. He rapidly cleaned the sweat from his hands and proceeded to unlock the door.

There were no words to describe the relief he felt when it finally opened.

"What is wimpy little brother doing?"

His soul dropped to his feet. Hulk was now just a few steps away from him. Bruce had to make use of all of his courage to turn around. His brother's eyes were more blood-shot than usual, probably due his interrupted sleep.

Or maybe because he was ungodly angry.

"I'm-I'm just go-going out fo-for a while." Bruce stuttered, slowly walking out of the house. If he walked or moved to quickly, it would only cause Hulk to become nervous, and therefore, angry. "I'll be back soon."

Hulk blinked a few times. A small smile appeared on his big lips.

"Can I go? Hulk wants to go!"

"What?" asked Bruce, amazed. Had he really heard well? The whole situation was so surreal and unknown to him that Bruce couldn't help but to answer without meditating his words or his voice first "No, of course you can't!"

Hulk expression started to change back to the one Bruce knew so well. That wasn't good.

"Hulk can't? …No, Hulk asked nicely… Hulk wants to go! Hulk doesn't take orders from wimpy, stupid brother! LITTLE BROTHER WILL PAY FOR HIS ARROGANCE!"

Hulk charged at Bruce, but he managed to close the door just in time. He locked it again. When Hulk crashed against the door, the impact was so strong Bruce fell to his back.

"I WANT TO GO! HULK WANTS TO GO!" screamed Hulk, punching the door from the other side. Bruce could see how it shook violently with every punch.

"No." Bruce whispered to himself. "You will stay."

He got up and started to walk away. He had to go.

Tony was waiting for him.

* * *

Hulk didn't understand. He had asked nicely and he had managed to keep his temper at bay, as he had learnt in his summer's therapy. Hell, he even had ignored the fact that his wimpy little brother had interrupted his daily nap.

Why, then? If he had done all that, why did his brother still said 'no'?

He should have said yes. He MUST have said yes.

Hulk stopped punching the door after a while. Then, he returned back to his room and sat down in his bed.

He really didn't understand.

It seemed that it didn't matter how much he tried, he was always forced to use violence.

And deep down, he liked it. Maybe more than he imagined.

* * *

Loki played nervously with his thumbs. He was sitting in the living room together with Jane and Darcy,

None of them had said a word for a while.

"Why is my brother taking so long to wake up?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. It sounded more like an order than a question.

"Maybe because he hit his head so hard that it's a miracle he didn't break his skull." Darcy joked, crossing her legs."That ,or maybe he is just a very heavy sleeper."

Loki would have found that joke a little amusing if it hadn't also reminded him of his father. Odin, as well as his mother, would arrive home at any time.

"He just needs time. I've already healed his wounds and bandaged his head. " Jane explained "Just give him time."

"Time is exactly what we don't have." Loki said. Tired of waiting, he got up from the sofa. "It obvious you can't do nothing more for him anymore. We have no reason to stay here any longer. I'm not thrilled to ask, but I will need your help to get Thor back to our house. He can rest there the same way he is resting here."

If he managed to get Thor home, even if he was still unconscious, Loki could tell his parents that Thor was so tired from the first day of school that he went to bed really early. Of course ,Odin would get a little angry for his son's laziness, but at least Loki would have nothing to do with it. As for now, it was the best plan he could think of.

"I still think he should stay here for a while longer. But if you are really in such a hurry to get him home, so be it. Though I'd really like to tell him how sorry I am for what I did as soon as he wakes up…" said Jane, a little embarrassed and remorseful.

Loki didn't think_ 'sorry'_ would make any difference at all.

" Uh Jane, if he had been the one to hit you with his car, would he really be the first thing you wanted to see after waking up?" Darcy inquired.

"…Maybe you are right." Jane accepted, shrugging.

"Of course she is" Loki sentenced coldly. He nodded his head towards the room where Thor was. "Now, let's get this over with, shall we?"

Darcy and Jane agreed at the same time.

* * *

"Hey, Jane. One may be unconscious, and the other one may be a bit if an ass, but damn… These two brothers are a good pick!" Whispered Darcy to Jane as they walked.

Jane blushed instantly and hit Darcy with her right elbow.

"How can you think about that in this situation? Seriously, Darcy…" Jane asked, alarmed.

"What? You know it's true!" Darcy insisted under her breath. Jane shook her head and ignored her friend. They could talk about it all they wanted once the brothers were back to their own house. For now, the best thing was to keep focused in getting Thor back home.

"Okay, Thor" said Loki as he opened the door of the room. "It' time for us to- Thor?"

Loki's sudden silence made both Jane and Darcy share a concerned look.

"What is it,Loki?" Jane asked.

Loki turned around and looked at her with confusion and fury alike.

"He is gone! My brother, he isn't here!"

"WHAT?!"

Jane thought for a second that it was all just a cruel joke Loki was playing on her as revenge for what she had done to his brother. But as soon as she and Darcy looked at the room with their own eyes, it was obvious Loki wasn't lying.

The bed was empty, and Thor was nowhere to be found.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading!_**


	15. Among Wolves

**_AN: Wow, I took my time ,didn't I? Hahaha, I guess you could say it was a writer's block phase, but I was also busy with some exams and college stuff . Anyways, thank you for your patience._**

**_I also thank for Morgan,Guest,the other Guest and JakMarTheDarkWarrior for reviewing the last chapter :D_**

* * *

Bruce sat down on the sofa, his hands inside his pockets. Tony's house was as neat as ever. One could easily desire being its owner, and Bruce was no exception. However, as much as he enjoyed being there, he knew his visit had to be short. Hopefully, Tony would realize this as well.

When his friend finally arrived to the living room, his eyes had that particular shine on them. Bruce had seen it many times before, whenever Tony had, as he liked to call them, _"a revelation"._ They were usually just half- thought plans or risky (and quite frankly, foolish) ideas, but sometimes, they could be admirable, even believable.

The key word was _sometimes. _

Bruce hoped that that time was a_ sometime_.

"Hey Bruce. I'm happy to see you made it!" Tony greeted, sitting next to his friend. He was holding a glass of what appeared to be wine with his right hand.

"Yeah, I am too." Bruce said. "To be honest, I'm surprised I did. You almost caused Hulk to beat me to shreds."

His voice, though not angry, was not free of accusation. It was unintentional from Bruce's part, but it was also genuine.

Tony rolled his eyes and patted Bruce's shoulder.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He apologized. Then, he shrugged the whole thing off so fast that Bruce barely had time to accept the apology. "But anyways, let's move on to more important matters. I don't want to make you lose more of your valuable time, Bruce."

"Oh, wow. That's so _thoughtful _of you, Tony."

"You know it." Tony said. He took a sip from his drink before continuing. "Okay, listen up Banner, this is important, and you may not believe me at first,but that's ok. It took me a few minutes to believe it myself."

"What is it?" Bruce asked, becoming intrigued.

"It's Thor." Tony answered, giving Bruce's spine a shiver."That newcomer, who at first I confused with a resurrected caveman, is actually the heir of the Asgard Company. The son of the almost legendary entrepreneur Odin."

A moment of silence followed. Bruce allowed the news to sink in. Tony silently watched him as he took various sips from his drink.

Bruce tried to talk, but he couldn't find any words to describe his surprise. Could it really be that Thor was who Tony was claiming him to be?

It was so improbable, and yet, so possible.

"Oh man, if only you could see your face right now…" Tony said, smiling.

"But…but how? Thor. Really?" Bruce said, ignoring Tony's previous comment. "I mean, if that is true, then how comes no one in our school recognized him?"

Tony scratched his head before answering.

"Bruce, Bruce…" he said ", you are so oblivious about how these things work. Well, story made short, some of the most famous entrepreneurs like to keep their private lives private, to the point where one wonders if they are still alive. Okay, maybe not to that extreme, but close to it. They are like divas, only in reverse."

"I can't blame them. I would do the same thing if I were in their place, especially if I had a family." Bruce affirmed. "But I still find it hard to believe …"

Tony clapped once, and then he pointed at Bruce.

"Exactly, we have a winner! A family!" Tony exclaimed. "You see. Before this day, all I knew about Odin was that he had a wife and a child. I didn't even know their names, but I knew of their existences. But the other one… Loki."

"Loki? What about him?" Bruce asked.

"My father never said anything about Odin having a second son, so finding out about him was a big surprise. Not only for me, because I'm sure he was one to his parents as well."

"That's a bit of a mean supposition, Tony…"

"Maybe, but it sounds like a fact to me." Tony shrugged. "But I guess that doesn't matter. Not for me, at least. Actually, I think it just increases my chances of bringing the Stark and the Asgard Companies together. And here is where you help me, Bruce."

Bruce frowned. He had no idea what Tony was talking about.

"Sorry but, what do I have to do with all of this? I mean, unlike you, the only thing I'm ever going to inherit from my parents is their genes. "Bruce said. "And their debts, surely."

Too late he realized that by asking those questions, he had fallen in Tony's trap. Now, he had given Tony a reason to explain himself, and with it, the chance of getting him involved. Sometimes, he thought that was one of Tony's strategies to hook someone in his plans. And if it was, Bruce had to admit it truly worked.

Tony smiled, but Bruce didn't. Not even once in the entire time in which Tony proceeded to explain him his plan. Instead, he listened silent but carefully.

"…You see where am I going with all this?" Tony asked, moving his hands. "I am the instant heir because I'm an only child. But how do you know who's gonna be the heir when there is more than one possible option? The answer is that you don't. Not anymore. Times are changing, and traditions are changing with them. That's why I need your help. Look, I know that today I wasn't too…nice with neither of the Odinson brothers. Still, for whatever reason, Thor seems to like me a bit. Or at least, he doesn't seem to hate me like his brother does. Loki really needs to take that rock out of his shoes… I haven't seen anyone so grumpy since that big dude who graduated last year."

"You mean Ben?" Bruce said.

"Yeah, I think that was his name." Tony said.

"Ben was actually a really cool guy, Tony, and very smart. You just didn't know him well enough."

"I think our definitions of what _'cool'_ is are complete opposites. But he was the only one who managed to keep Hulk at bay sometimes, I'll give him that. Though you still do a good job with putting up with him, Bruce."

Bruce laughed without humor.

"If you say so, Tony…"

"I mean it." Tony assured, without mockery."Not only I think that's admirable, but it's also another thing you and _Happy-face_ Odinson have in common. Both of you are always dealing with your older brothers."

"Yes I know that, but I'm still not convinced that I want to help you, Tony." Bruce interrupted "You just want me to befriend Loki so I can convince him of how cool you are so you can have him as an assured option in case he ends up being chosen by his father to be the heir instead of Thor."

Tony looked a little surprised by Bruce's reaction but he quickly regained his confidence.

"You make it sound as if I was planning a bank robbery! I can't see what's so wrong about my idea, to be honest. If Loki doesn't end up being the heir, then I will simply ignore him and put all my attention in forming and establishing an alliance with Thor. And vice versa! There, end of story. No one gets hurt. But please, Bruce, you have to understand. Without you, I won't be able to keep Loki close. He doesn't like me at all ,and you know that Natasha and Clint aren't exactly very friendly with people they don't know, and Steve would never help me out with this because he would say it is _'immoral and dishonest'_ "

"Uhm, maybe because it is?" Bruce observed.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Come on, I just need this one little favor! Please." Tony said, with a glimpse of sincerity Bruce could not ignore "Even if it sounds stupid and selfish, it means a lot to me, and to me family's Industry."

"Tony, I..." Bruce sighed. He couldn't bring himself to understand Tony's feelings completely, but he still take them into account. Then, he considered the idea of having a friend with whom he could identify with. He knew his friends cared about him, but having someone who could understand how it felt to have a brother like Hulk sounded great.

Maybe Loki could be that friend?

"…Very well, Tony." Bruce said, to which Tony sighed, clearly relieved. "I can't say I agree with you, but you are my friend. So yes, I will help you."

Tony looked so happy he gave Bruce a quick hug. Bruce injuries hurt a little, but he made no mention about it.

"Thank you, Bruce! Though you could have agreed way earlier. You and Jarvis have the same love for drama, seriously. I propose a toast, to celebrate. Jarvis! Bring Bruce a glass of wine like mine, if you will!"

"Wine? Oh, you mean the grape juice you drink for breakfast since you were five years old, sir?" the butler asked from the kitchen.

"Why does my butler always has to burn me?" Tony sighed, embarrassed.

Bruce laughed quietly.

Maybe he didn't have to be in such a hurry to get back home.

Maybe ,all he needed to feel okay was to relax a bit.

_Easy to say,_ he thought, _and perhaps,_ _not so hard to do._

* * *

"I give up."

"Come on Darcy, stop fooling around and help us."

"No seriously, I give up!" Darcy exclaimed. Jane and Loki looked at her, the first with confusion and the later with annoyance. "We've been looking for an hour now. We've looked in the kitchen, in the garage, even in the bathroom! But he is nowhere to be found!"

"You know what else is nowhere to be found? Your intelligence." Loki said.

Darcy stopped her ranting and glared at the boy with eyes as sharp as knifes. Jane was glad they couldn't cut. She could sense the tension rising between Darcy and Loki, so she decided to intervene before it collided and brought chaos.

"This is not the time for arguing. You said it yourself, Loki. Our priority is to find Thor." She said. "And Darcy, your complaints are not helping at all."

"Maybe, but they help me vent my feelings." Darcy confessed."It feels good, ok? Forgive me for being human."

"Women…" Loki sighed.

"This guy…" Darcy said, with her eyes half closed and pointing at Loki.

"You guys …" added Jane.

"You lady…" said a hoarse voice .

Jane felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Her stomach sink and it was only by a miracle she didn't scream. When she turned around, he saw a boy with gleaming blond hair, smiling and holding a bunch of flowers. Thor had appeared from nowhere, and none of them had heard him approach. Loki and Darcy interrupted their silent and visual discussion instantly.

"HOLY SH-"Darcy exclaimed taking two steps backwards and taking a little bottle out of her pocket. "GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU CREEP! I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY AND I WON'T HESITATE TO USE IT!"

If Thor heard her warning, then he completely ignored it. Instead, he knelt down and held Jane's hand. The girl tried to break free, but Thor hold was strong enough to prevent it.

"You…You are beautiful." Thor whispered.

"What?" Jane asked, blushing, much to her dismay. For an instant, those words sounded like the true feelings of a man rather than the senseless words of a fool. Poor Thor, she had really hit his head really hard.

"Can I marry you?" Thor continued, smiling vaguely. Darcy covered her mouth with her hands. "I brought you flowers, so you should say yes."

Jane was left speechless. That wasn't the way she had expected to hear those words for the first time. She felt a small twinge of dislike for Thor for ruining her illusion.

"What the hell are you saying you oaf?!" Loki screamed, equally disturbed and confused by Thor's actions. "Are you insane?! Asking someone like her to marry you… that's the greatest sign of madness!"

"Yes, I …" said Jane, pausing for a second. "Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're beautiful." Thor said, kissing her hand. Jane made a face of disgust.

"OH HEAVENS, SHUT UP ALREADY, THOR!" Loki urged.

"Hey Jane, if you are getting married, can I keep your room after you move?" Darcy asked.

"No one here is getting married!" Jane said, finally freeing her hand from Thor's grasp. "And you… You are very an unlikable person!"

"And you are beautiful." Thor replied.

"Wow, his romantic vocabulary is not exactly extensive, is it?" Darcy observed. "By the way Jane, aren't those the flowers you were plating for your research? You know, the ones that take like seven months to grow?"

"YES, YES THEY ARE!"

"Oh, you mean these?" Thor asked, looking at the flowers. "I found them in your garden so I said to myself 'beautiful girls need beautiful flowers'."

"So that's where you were all this time? The garden?" Loki asked. "But how did you…?"

"I went out by the window, like a cat, and fell on my ass, not like a cat." Thor answered. "Oh, Loki, you are here too. And who is that, your girlfriend? Am I going to be an uncle soon?"

"HELL NO!" Both Darcy and Loki roared.

"We can have a double wedding."

"Enough! Shut up!" Jane said, slapping Thor in the head. Though it was a gently slap, it was enough for Thor to go unconscious again. All the fuss evaporated along with Thor's babblings.

"I-I swear I didn't mean to…" Jane explained, but Loki cut her without a second thought.

"I don't care; let's just take him back to our house. Quick, before he wakes up and starts acting like a fool again!"

The two girls had no intention of letting that happen again, so they both helped Loki carrying Thor the same way the had done before. Little by little, they managed to get him out to the street.

"Don't worry; I'm sure he is just acting that way due the accident. He will come back to normal in a day or two." Jane assured to Loki as they tried to get Thor inside the Odinson residence. Loki opened the door and looked at Jane ,with a sarcastic smirk on his lips.

"No, he won't. He _is_ already acting normal. And you have stolen his heart." He laughed. "Natural paybacks are so delightfully ironic. Good luck with that, Jane. Good luck indeed…"

* * *

The smoke no longer made his eyes water. It was a strange ability he had developed thanks to Natasha and her like for smoking. Clint, on the other hand, was not very fond of it, but in evenings like that one, where he had his apartment just for Natasha and himself, smoking one cigarette was surprisingly comforting.

It also helped to kill the hunger. Natasha never complained, and even with knowing that spending an afternoon in his boyfriend's home meant having a rather scarce dinner (sometimes,no dinner at all) , she still accompanied Clint in his otherwise lonely days after school.

"I'm sorry, Nat. You know how he likes to be the one in charge of the little money we have. It is starting to get on my nerves…"

"It doesn't bother me at all. But if it does bother you, why don't you talk with him about it? He is your brother, he should understand."

Clint chuckled.

"Because it's impossible to talk to him. He never comes back home until midnight, sometimes later. And when I do find him here, he acts as if I didn't exist. He gives me some money for me eat and that's it. We are ghosts to each other, and little more than that. He even ignores me at school. You have noticed it, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have." Natasha said "But …I can't say I get why he acts that way."

"Neither can I, Nat." Clint affirmed. "Barney has always been mysterious, but since he started hanging out with Von Doom, he changed. Don't ask me to explain how, but I know he has."

"Hang out with the wolf for too long, and you will learn to howl." Natasha said ,almost in a whisper. "And for what I've seen, Loki is next."

"So you saw him too, uh?" Clint replied "Who would say Doom would accept a newcomer so soon and so fast? The less you know..."

"You know that idiot as well as I do, Clint. Doom is out for himself ,and surely all he cares about is to get some benefit from Loki's father company."

"I agree, and I wonder how many of our classmates realized who those two brothers really are. Maybe just Tony..." Clint nodded." Well, let the wolves eat each other. I have no interest in their games, I prefer watching them from a safe distance."

"Where's the fun in that?" Natasha asked.

"I could care less." Clint said, getting closer to her and holding her hand. "I have all the fun I need from where I am now."

Natasha leaned and whispered in his ear.

"So do I."

They kissed.

It was on those moments where Clint was really happy his brother Barney wasn't home.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	16. Blinded by the Sun

**_Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel_**.

* * *

The sun was alone in the cloudless sky. The hot weather was not a good ally at the time. Loki felt how some drops of sweat began to stream down his forehead, and the warm air that caressed his face as he ran didn't help at all.

"Hurry up, brother. Or you'll end up in second place, as always!"

"Shut up, Thor, this isn't a stupid race!" Loki replied, trying to keep up with his older brother. Thor didn't seem to be tired at all, and he hadn't stopped to catch his breath not even once since they left home. "We are going to be late for school and it's your fault!"

The backpack on his shoulder was becoming an uncomfortable weight. If he didn't know better, he would have agreed to Thor's suggestion of getting rid of it along the way.

"Hey, it's not my fault the bus didn't wait for us!" Thor said in his defense as they crossed the street "Blame the bus driver and his impatience!"

"But he wouldn't have to wait for us if we had awakened in time. And why we didn't? ... Oh, I remember. Because you kept me awake all night long with your complaints about your headache and your dreams of how sexy the neighbor was!" Loki replied, feeling his heart beating in his throat ,his legs starting loose speed with each step.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep his brother's pace. All he knew was that they had to hurry. The school was still considerably away, and he and Thor would be lucky if they still could make it to the first class of the day.

"Very well. Then blame the neighbor's sexiness and your fragile sleep. But look at the bright side, Loki. At least my head is as good as new now; though I wish I could remember better the time we spent in the neighbor's house… Are you sure I didn't say anything interesting to her?" Thor asked, looking at Loki.

"Oh, you said a lot of things, brother, but none of them is worth remembering."

"Are you sure? You aren't lying to me, are you?" Thor inquired.

"Lie? To my own brother? Why would I ever do that?" Loki said, without any shame "But never mind that, Thor. Now, cease with your foolish questions…I-I can't run- and answer them…at –at the same time…"

"What's wrong, brother? Don't tell you are tired already! I'm just getting started!"

Laughing loudly, Thor began to run faster, leaving Loki behind in a matter of seconds.

Seeing that he had no chance of catching up with Thor, Loki stopped to catch his breath.

Beads of sweat shined on his forehead and his hair was disheveled. The sun was unforgiving. Loki hated it with all his might.

He tried to look up to see if Thor was too far away, but he was too tired. Anyway, it wasn't necessary, as Thor always returned to him.

He wouldn't leave him behind. Not entirely, anyway.

It took three minutes before Thor did as Loki had predicted. Even then, Thor had no trace of fatigue on his face, unlike Loki, who could barely speak between his ragged breathing.

Thor stopped in front of his brother and examined him, his blue eyes gleaming and full of energy.

"Yes, no doubt about it." Thor said, smiling." At your pace, we will be arriving to school in... I do not know, one or three weeks. That if you don't pass out in the middle of the road." Thor laughed openly.

Loki felt the sudden urge of punching his brother in the face.

_That_ would be something to laugh about.

"Well, good thing I'm here to help you." Thor added once he stopped laughing. He turned around and kneeled a little "Here, I'll carry you on my back. Just like we used to do when we were little and played we were in the Old West, remember?"

"You enjoy tormenting me with my past, don't you, brother?" Loki grunted.

"Not really." Thor said, without understanding the mockery of his brother.

"Forget it. And if you really think I'm going to let you carry me, then you are crazier than I thought."

"Shut up and get on, Loki. We'll be late! Well, later than we already are."

"Ha, now you are blaming it all on me." Loki sighed. "At least it can't get any worse."

He spoke to soon. And before he knew it, a limo arrived, driving at a very high speed.

The sun reflected his powerful light on the black paint of the vehicle. Thor and Loki narrowed their eyes as the limo stopped abruptly in front of them.

"Whoa! Brother, I think I'm seeing a mirage." Thor said, pointing to the limo.

"That's no mirage, you idiot. It is real."Loki corrected, but once he identified the owner of the limo, he wished it was actually a mirage.

He couldn't hide a grimace once Tony Stark's face was visible from inside the vehicle. Stark's eyes were hidden behind those stupid sunglasses, though that day, they had a justifiable use, other than showing off.

_'And making him look like an asshole.' _Loki added in his mind.

Tony greeted the Odinson brothers with his best smile.

"Hello Anthony! What a surprise to see you here. Don't tell me you are late for school too." Thor said, approaching the limo and throwing a friendly punch to Tony's shoulder.

"What can I say? I'm a rebel." Tony said. Apparently, Thor had forgotten about their decision of Tony picking them up for school that day. But that was okay, since Tony had stayed up late drinking grape juice and watching TV, much to Jarvis annoyance. He had woken up only after many alarm sounds and a miracle.

'_Steve is right. Thor's punches are like hammer blows! '_ Tony thought.

"There's still time to tell me this was a bad idea and order me to drive away, sir."

"Shut up, Jarvis." Tony said under his breath .Then, Tony came out of the limo and punched Thor in return , not without fear that the blond boy would hit him back.

Fortunately, he didn't.

"Uh ... Any specific reason of why you decided to run to school with this weather?" Tony asked, looking at the untidy brothers. They looked just like the opposite of what he had imagined the children of a great businessman would look like, but Tony had the decency of not saying that thought out loud. "Is it ... a tradition of your old town or something?"

"Town? We lived in a city, you ignorant … !" Loki replied, offended, but Thor interrupted him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"Ha ha, of course it isn't. We had this tradition of making marathons on rainy days, though, but that's another story. We had to run to school because I kept Loki awake all night long with my dreams about my head and my complaints about the sexy neighbor. No, wait, I think it is backwards…"

Tony nodded, still smiling but confused.

"Oh, well. Now everything is clear." Tony said."You heard that, Jarvis? They are late for school because they stayed up all night long thinking about their sexy neighbor."

"It's a very touching story, sir. Im at the edge of tears." The butler replied from inside the limo.

"Wow! Even Anthony and the butler think the neighbor and I make a good couple. That's a sign. A sign that I should ask her out today, again! What was her name, Loki? Oh, whatever. I'll ask her her name... again. Girls love being asked their name." Thor stammered with lewdness.

Loki took his brother's arm off his shoulders and insisted in continuing walking to school at once.

"It is clear that we won't make it to our first class now even if we sprout wings and flew to school." Loki complained, looking at his watch.

"Who needs some horrible wings when you have an awesome limo?" Tony shrugged. "With a Jacuzzi included soon."

He may not reach Doom's level, but Stark's smug attitude was equally annoying for Loki.

Thor, however, seemed to be fascinated by it.

"But that's enough talking. Come aboard! School, teachers and our fellow classmates with dubious moral await us! Jarvis, turn on the air conditioner. It feels like a damn sauna inside here." Tony said, inviting Thor and Loki to get inside the limo.

"Count on it, Anthony." Thor accepted without hesitation, just as he had done the day before. "I think I now know what I will ask dad for my birthday…"

However (and again, as the day before) Loki was reluctant to accept Tony's invitation.

"Oh-uh. I think I'm having a _deja-vu_." Tony said, looking at Loki "And we already know how it ends, so let's cut the drama and get in at once, Loki."

"Get out of there, Thor." Loki ordered, completely ignoring Tony.

"What? No way!"Thor replied, not sounding convinced by the idea of leaving the limo only to walk again under the restless sun.

Loki clenched his fists and glared at his brother.

"Excellent. Do what you want then. Enjoy Stark's attempts of winning your friendship solely on bribes ..."

But he couldn't finish, nor could see how Thor reacted to his words. He couldn't Stark's reaction either.

All that Loki could hear was the screech of the tires against the pavement, followed by a cloud of dust. And once it faded, the limo was gone.

Loki coughed and rubbed his eyes.

Thor was now on his way to school, comfortably sitting in an air conditioned limo, while he was still standing on the sidewalk.

Only this time, Thor was not coming back for him.

And the only one to blame for his situation was none other than Stark.

* * *

Loki stopped running once he arrived to the sidewalk in front of the school.

He was so exhausted that he was surprised he could stand. At least he had made it in time for the second class. He wiped the sweat of his forehead with his backhand

Before crossing the street, Loki instinctively looked at both sides of the street.

After what had happened to Thor, he wouldn't take any chances.

"Prevention is better than getting run over,eh?"

Loki gasped, turning around to face the stranger.

He hadn't seen or heard him before. Just like Stark, that guy was wearing sunglasses. His hair was short and light brown .He was taller than Loki, but his height was not as pronounced as Thor's or Namor's.

"Those sunglasses are a horrible fashion." Loki muttered under his breath, turning his back on the other boy, as if he had never noticed him. " I cannot believe so many people so blindly follow it …"

"I cannot help. I follow everything blindly. You could say that I'm used to it. "The stranger added, walking towards Loki. He held a cane with his right hand. "Just like you're not used to taking baths, or so I smell."

"And you're also used to acting like an docuhebag?" Loki asked, grimly. Only too late he understood the relation and meaning of the sunglasses and the cane.

_'__Damn,'_ He thought _' don't tell me he is…'_

"Only when I am in the presence of one." replied the boy, but Loki remained silent. "And I know what you're thinking. And the answer is yes."

The boy smiled slightly and readjusted his sunglasses. Loki cringed just by imagining that those eyes hidden behind the glasses were dead.

The stranger grinned and extended a hand towards Loki.

"Matt Murdock. Because even blind people have names." He laughed, without any qualms.

Loki didn't answer nor shook Matt's hand. Judging by his appearance, Matt was not only blind, but he was also his classmate.

_'Of course he is blind. I should have known as soon as I saw him. Doom would have noticed it right away ...'_ Loki thought, finally saying his name to Matt ,in a tone of voice that barely sounded friendly _'I must be more observant. I must, since I am apparently condemned to live with people like Doom and Stark ...'  
_  
"You don't say much, do you ,Loki? At first, I thought you were mute." Matt said.

"Well, now you're making me wish that you were mute instead of blind." Loki replied, abandoning his thoughts.

Matt accepted the answer with a laugh.

"Okay, we're even."

"If you say so. If that's all, I'm leaving. I've lost a lot of time chatting with you. See you later." Loki waved, too late realizing his poor choice of words; however, Matt didn't seem to be offended.

Before Loki had a chance to get away, Matt's voice stopped him again.

"I would not go so smugly to school." he said, placing both hands on his cane "If Coulson or any other teacher sees you wandering in the halls, they will send you to Fury and put you in detention for two weeks for being late. That if Fury is in a good mood, which is not very common, so chances are that you will be in detention until the end of the term."

Loki didn't like the sound of that ,and although the idea of not going to school that day crossed his mind, he was still not entirely convinced by it.

He put a hand on his head and dropped the backpack from his shoulders. What should he do?

"And what about you? "Loki asked Matt. "Do you plan to stay here like a statue all day?"

"With this sun, that idea loses all of its appeal." Matt replied "And I also lose my concentration."

_'He can't cross the street ...'_ Loki realized, looking at Matt _'This heat has overwhelmed his senses...'  
_  
It was then that an idea came to his mind.

It wasn't perfect, but it was the best for that situation.

"I think you and I can help each other, Matt." Loki said slyly.

_'Although you will help me more than I will help you' _Loki thought

He told Matt his plan with a triumphant smile on his lips.

A smile that Matt couldn't see.

* * *

_**Thank you all for reading :D!**_


	17. Scores to Settle

_**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel.**_

_**Hello everyone! Thanks to Guest and No-MY name's Anonymous for their reviews! Hope you like this chapter.**_

* * *

The students formed one perfect line without the need of being given an order. They all remained silent.

The coach was a man who commanded respect, Thor couldn't deny it, but he was far from being intimidated.

Maybe it was his scowl and somewhat dismissive attitude which gave him such reputation among his students. However, Thor wasn't terrified. No teacher had ever scared him.

_'An Odinson is never afraid.'_

The coach tried to talk, but all that came out of his mouth was a coughing fit. Thor watched him, mildly entertained.

"It seems that old Logie has been kissing the bottle again." Tony whispered softly. He was standing next to Thor. "Don't worry, Thor. You'll get used to that strong smell of whiskey of his soon enough."

"That if your sense of smell doesn't die because of it first." Clint added.

A smile almost appeared in Thor's lips, but he then remembered how angry he was with Tony. He had to try very hard to remain serious.

Tony had explained him that leaving Loki behind was nothing but an innocent mistake.

_'Anthony is cool, but what he did to Loki wasn't right. Then again, Loki maybe was a little harsh on him too... But, that doesn't justify what Anthony did ... or maybe it does? Though it could also be Jarvis' fault, as Anthony claims to be…'_

Thor didn't like to fill his head with such thoughts, let alone meditate about them. Instead,he preferred to follow his emotions and impulses . That was, in his opinion, a much more simple and effective way of resolving his problems.

And for the moment, Thor was angry with Tony, so for his own good, he would ignore him.

Maybe his anger would have dissipated in ten minutes, or maybe it would have only increased, Thor had no way of knowing.

He would have to wait and see.

* * *

When the coach stopped coughing, his eyes were watery and red. He spat on the floor and cursed shamelessly.

"Coach, are you okay?" Steve asked.

"What a stupid question, Rogers. Fury pays me a pittance, I've coughed and pissed blood for the last two weeks and it's been a month since I last woke up with a woman on my bed." The coach answered, looking at Steve."If that's not being _okay_, then I have no idea what it is."

A few laughed, Tony and Clint included. Steve blushed, and soon regretted having opened his mouth in the first place.

"Shut up already, all of you!" The coach yelled, and everyone followed the order without a second thought."You think this is funny? Understand that I am your coach, not your damn clown. We already have enough clowns in this school for your entertainment. Coulson, Fury... and here we have one of the most prominent: Tony Stark himself. "

Tony, far from being embarrassed, stepped out of the line and bowed to his companions, as if he was a stage actor recently awarded.

"It's good to know you can distinguish talent when you see it, coach." Tony said warmly. "Even with your eyes clouded by the sweet fogs of whiskey."

The others laughed again, and this time, Thor joined them.

Logan, on the other hand, thought it was everything but funny. He hit Tony on the back of the head before ordering him to go back to his place.

"If you say another one of those jokes out loud, you know what will happen, Stark?" The coach asked. His hoarse voice made him sound more intimidating than usual.

"You will lose your job?"

"Well ... yes. "Logan agreed. As much as he hated it, he had to admit that as long as he had alcohol in his veins, Stark's argument was irrefutable.

_'You won this round, asshole.'_

His defeat didn't mean he would allow Tony enjoy his moment of triumph. He put the whistle in his lips and blew again. He found it amusing how that simple sound made his students remember their place. He was their general and they were his soldiers, and his commands were theirs to obey. Logan loved that metaphor.

It made his job sound a lot more exciting than it was.

"Coach Logan." Someone behind his back interrupted.

Logan sighed and clenched his fists. At this rate, he thought, a headache wouldn't take long to appear.

"I swear, Coulson, if you are here to ask more stupid questions about... "

Logan turned around. He realized he had made a terrible mistake. That man wasn't Coulson.

It was Fury.

_'Damn it!'_

As smoothly as his clumsy hands allowed, Logan covered his eyes with his cap, trying to hide their reddish color caused by a sleepless night with no other company than that of Miss Whiskey.

"What is it, Fury?" He asked after clearing his throat. Some of his fellow teachers usually called Fury _'sir'_', but Logan didn't.

That was a school, not a military base, and he wasn't a fucking soldier, he was a fucking coach.

'_Sir_ my ass.'

The school's principal was accompanied by two students. One of them was Pietro; he was staring at the ground, standing at a safe distance from the other student. When Logan recognized him, he couldn't blame the white haired boy for being so quiet and tense.

Hulk had a bad reputation not only among students, but also among teachers. The big guy had never beaten a teacher, but Logan wouldn't be surprised if one day that possibility became true. And although none of his colleagues said it out loud, it was terribly obvious that everyone in the school (except Logan and maybe Fury) feared the boy. Some more than others, but fear was always there.

_'What a bunch of cowards. As rambunctious and strong as he is, he's still just a boy.'_

Though he was far from liking him, Logan didn't evade Hulk.

He was the only one to do so.

Sad as it was, he was the closest thing to a_ friend _Hulk had in the school. The closest thing similar to a friendship Hulk had known in a long time, or perhaps, in his whole life.

It was both sad and pathetic, but in the end, regardless of the pity he felt, for Logan it mattered little.

Each to their problems. After all, that was life.

Fury pushed both boys forward.

"Hey! Asking us to move is enough, you know?" Pietro complained, looking reproachfully at Fury. On the other hand, Hulk said nothing.

"And arriving on time to your respective class is your obligation, you know?" Fury replied wryly. Pietro frowned and twisted his mouth, but this time he had the decency to be quiet. The principal turned his attention to the coach once more. "These two scoundrels need a lesson to cure their laziness, since it seems their inept brains can't understand that _school_ and _slacking_ aren't synonyms."

"Aw, isn't that stupidly adorable?" Logan said with mocking tenderness.

"It's only stupid." Fury sentenced with a smile. "Be sure to teach them a lesson, Logan. Making them run four kilometers without stopping sounds like a good idea to me, though it's only a suggestion. I'm sure you can come up with a much better plan."

"Consider it done, Fury. These two will wish they weren't born." The coach promised.

Truth was he couldn't think of a better punishment than Fury's at the moment. He was feeling too dizzy and drowsy, and his headache had increased. The light of the sun was only making it worse.

_'I just need a good sleep to feel like a new man. And some whiskey.'_

Fury's single eye caught sight of Logan's for a second as he left. The coach wondered if he'd noticed the blood in them. Once the principal was gone, Logan spat on the ground and rubbed his eyes.

"Get in line before I lose my patience!" He shouted.

"Took your time to say it, eh?!" Pietro said, visibly relieved to finally be able to get away from Hulk. He ran to his classmates, pushing his way into the formation wit anxiety.

"Calm down Pietro, or you'll wet your pants."

"Shut up, Stark. I just…couldn't stand to be close to that smelly-caveman any longer, that's all. I wasn't scared. Nope. Why would I be scared? And just to make it clear again, I wasn't scared." Pietro said, folding his arms and looking away.

"Yeah, right, and the couch is a sober and innocent nun." Tony rolled his eyes.

"…Great, that mental image you just gave me is nightmare fuel that will last for weeks. Thanks a lot."

"Don't mention it." Tony replied with a smile.

It took a couple of seconds for Tony to notice the time bomb standing next to him. He could feel how Thor's arms were shaking, his fists so strongly clenched his knuckles had turned white. When he looked at Thor, Tony shivered. It was difficult to believe that he was the same smiling and easy going guy he had found in the streets that morning.

He could almost hear how Thor's blood was boiling.

However, Tony wasn't the only one to notice the change in Thor.

Clint, Steve and Natasha (who was at a considerable distance from her friends) felt the tension growing in the air.

Without anyone trying ( or being able )to stop him, Thor took a step forward, while coach Logan was giving Hulk the order again , after asking him if he was deaf or if he had only forgot to clean the wax inside his ears.

Logan stopped talking when he heard Thor's footsteps behind his back. He turned around and faced him.

"YOU! ... Who the hell are you? Go back to your place, goldilocks!"

All Thor did was pointing at Hulk accusingly, completely ignoring the coach.

"He beat my brother." Thor said. The calmness in his voice didn't hide his anger. His bad mood, initiated by Tony, had reached its peak the moment he saw Hulk. "And I beat his. We have scores to settle."

Logan was silent. The tension between the boys was almost palpable. Hulk didn't reply to Thor's accusations. He just stayed where he was, glaring and Thor.

Just as Logan, Hulk had bloodshot eyes, and like Thor's, they were the proof of a raging wrath building inside.

* * *

"That idiot is going to start another fight!" Clint warned under his breath. "He's had two in a row, and he's just been here for a couple of days! Fury is going to expel him for sure. But hey, at least he broke the record."

Tony bit his lip. His friend was right. He had to act fast, or his plans would be ruined. He breathed deeply and tried to think, but there seemed to be no solution. However, he was too stubborn to give up, and his determination was rewarded with a revelation.

He looked at Coach Logan.

Hopefully, the fogs of whiskey hadn't dispelled from his mind yet, and Tony knew that drunks with hangovers tended to act unwisely, following their impulses only. Taking himself and his father as examples, his theory seemed strong and well founded.

If Tony couldn't stop the fight, he could at least prevent Thor's expulsion. He approached Logan, who was having a hard time dealing with his students and his headache.

"Why did I have wake up this morning?" he could hear how the coach sighed.

"Hey Coach!"

"Not now, Stark! I have enough problems right now."

"And I have the perfect solution for them." Tony said. "Instead of trying to stop Thor and Hulk from fighting, why don't you just let them be? And if Fury asks, we are just practicing some wrestling. Think about it! That way, we get to have no class, you get to rest, these two titans get to solve their differences without the risk of being expelled ,and we are all happy. And if you get bored, you can go to your office to rehydrate yourself with some _water_, if you know what I mean."

Logan ordered him to lower his voice. At first, Tony thought he hadn't listened to a word he had said. He waited for a few seconds, and then, the coach blew the whistle again.

"I think it's the first time I hear something else other than bullshit to come out of your mouth, Stark." Logan said. He then looked at Thor and Hulk."Okay, listen up, you two. I might be crazy, but I believe that settling scores is a respectable reason to fight, so I won't try to stop you. Yes, you will fight, but not as mindless angered gorillas, but as my students in gym class. May your fists be the judges, and may the whiskey heal your wounds."

* * *

There was no one in the halls. One could only hear the soft murmurs of the classrooms, and Loki's was not far away.

He and Matt had the perfect excuse to explain their delay. The blind guy couldn't help but smile when Loki explained him his plan.

"You will accompany me to my classroom and tell the teacher that I had to get out of my way to help you, and that's why I was late. In a way, it's the truth, and not even the most inept of teachers would punish someone for helping a…er… "

"A blind guy. Why are people so afraid to use that word to describe me? It's not as if it was an insult." Matt said, shrugging and laughing, not without bitterness. "Come on then, I'll do my part of the deal. But we must hurry. I also have a class to attend to and a stupid sermon to listen to. Heck, it's in those moments that I wish I was deaf instead of blind."

Matt laughed again, but all Loki heard was a laugh devoid of humor.

_'He is so insufferable bitter.'_

But he couldn't judge him so harshly. Loki wouldn't be the happiest person in the world if one day he woke up in a completely dark world. He wondered if Matt was blind from birth or due an accident, but despite his curiosity, he asked no questions about it.

_'I can find out by other means. I have no need to ask.'_

Luckily, no teacher found them roaming the hallways. They reached Loki's classroom in less than three minutes, but Loki's relief vanished when he saw that it was empty and locked.

"Where the hell is everybody" Loki growled, kicking the door out of frustration.

"Hey, don't take it out on the poor door. What has it ever done to you? Here, let me take a look."Matt said.

"Save your stupid jokes for later." Loki ordered "You're making me wish that you were mute again."

"Well, we can say that the feeling is mutual." Matt said cheekily.

"You are beginning to test my patience, Murdock." Without a teacher to give an excuse to,Matt was totally useless. And though Matt was not necessarily that unbearable, Loki didn't like him enough to continue to talk to him longer than necessary.

"Shh." Matt ordered, putting a finger between his lips.

"But I didn't say anything." Loki replied.

"Shh! Someone is coming. Shut up and listen."

Loki tried to listen, but he didn't hear any other noise than the hum from the nearby classrooms. Beyond that, the halls were completely silent.

"If this is a stupid joke, Murdock, I swear..." Loki said, covering the nervousness in his voice with annoyance.

But Matt didn't reply. He was so still it seemed he was made of stone. Loki didn't interrupt him, and he instead tried to find the sound Matt could hear, but to no avail.

"Damn you, you are just trying to make fun of me!" Loki snapped.

But Matt spoke with such a serious voice that Loki's spine shivered.

"It's Fury. He is coming this way."

Loki was a little worried, but he remained calm.

"Big deal. Let's wait for him then. All I have to do is to tell him the excuse I planned." he reasoned, but Matt shattered his plans.

"It's so obvious you're new around here. A teacher always accepts excuses, however stupid or intelligent they may be. But Fury accepts none. That man is a lie detector with legs and a patch."

"I am not afraid. Turns out I'm a better liar than anyone in this school."

"Even if you were, with Fury you would be pushing your luck. Besides, do you really think you're the first person to use my blindness as an excuse for being late to class? Come on, Loki. My friends and I have used it so many times I already lost count. You may be a good liar, but you're not that original. But that doesn't matter, because here is where we take different paths."

"Thanks for nothing, then." Loki growled with anger."I knew I couldn't trust you, Murdock. I helped you cross the street, as if you were an old hag. And how do you repay me?! By breaking your part of the deal and running away like a coward...!"

"Shh, not so loud! You don't know how I hate loud noises! And calm down, lord of the drama. I said we would take different paths, I never said I wouldn't help you." Matt said, a little angry. "You have some attitude issues, man…"

Loki's tongue froze.

"I'll distract Fury and buy you some time to get out of here, quickly and quietly." Matt explained."Listen, the stairs at the end of this hall can take you to the first floor or the third. Choose the one you want and then find a way to hide."

"And where am I supposed to hide?" Loki asked.

"The bathrooms are an option, but not only they stink, they are also the most obvious hiding place of all. If you want, and if you dare, you can go to the rooftop. It's best place to hide without having the fear of getting caught, but getting there is not as simple as it sounds..."

"What do you mean?"

But Fury's voice, coming from the stairs, interrupted their conversation.

"Damn it. " The principal complained. "I hate stairs."

"He is near! Go now, before it's too late" Matt urged.

"Who is the lord of the drama now?" Loki mocked before bidding farewell. "See you later, Murdock."

"Ha ha, oh yes. Because it was so funny the first time…" Matt said with dry humor "Take care Loki, Lord of the drama and lies. And thank you."

Both boys parted in opposite directions simultaneously. Loki didn't look back, and the last thing he heard before going to the third floor was how Matt greeted Fury with a carefree voice.

_'We are even, Murdock.'_ Loki thought as he climbed the stairs. _'At least for now.'_

* * *

_**Thanks for reading!**_


End file.
